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Bobbsey  twins  at  Snow  Lodge  / 


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THE  WELCOME  LIGHT  SHONE  OUT  THROUGH  THE  STORM  AND 

DARKNESS. — Frontispiece  {Page  145.) 
Hie  Bobbsey  Twins  at  Show  Lodge. 


The   Bobbsey  Twins 
at  Snow  Lodge 


BY 

LAURA  LEE  HOPE 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS."  "THE  BOBBSEY  TVVLNS 

IN  THE  COUNTRY."   "THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  THE 

SEASHORE,"  "THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  OF  DEEP 

DALE."   "THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT 

RAINBOW  LAKE."    ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW   YORK 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS 


//  772 


BOOKS  BY  LAURA  LEE  HOPE 

l2mo.   Cloth.     Illustrated.     Price  per  volume, 
50  cents,  postpaid. 


THE   BOBBSEY    TWINS    BOOKS 
For  I^ittle  Men  and  Women 
THE   BOBBSEY    TWINS 

THE   BOBBSEY  TWINS   IN   THE   COUNTRY 
THE    BOBBSEY   TWINS    AT    THE    SEA- 
SHORE 
THE    BOBBSEY   TWINS    AT    SCHOOL 
THE   BOBBSEY   TWINS   AT    SNOW   LODGE 


THE   OUTDOOB    GIBLS    SEEIES 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  OF  DEEPDALE 
THE    OUTDOOR    GIRLS    AT    RAINBOW 

LAKE 
THE   OUTDOOR   GIRLS   IN   A   MOTOR   CAR 
THE    OUTDOOR    GIRLS    IN    A    WINTER 

CAMP 
THE   OUTDOOR   GIRLS   IN   FLORIDA 

GrOSSET    &     DUNLAP,     PuBLISHi:RS,     NEW    YORK 


Copyright,  1913,  by 

GrOSSET     &     DUNI^AP. 


The  Bobbsey  Twins  at  Snow  Lodge 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  The  Runaways i 

II.  Old  Mr.   Carford i6 

III.  The  Big  Snowbali. 28 

IV.  The    Accusation       37 

V.  Holidays   at  Hand 44 

VI.  A  Visit  to  Mr.  Carford 55 

VII.  The  Story  of   Snow  Lodge    ....  69 

VIII.  A  Kind  Offer       ........  78 

IX.  Mr.  Bobbsey's  Story      .     .     .    y    .     .  85 

X.  Unwelcome    News     ....    y    ,.:    v  94 

XI.  Making   Plans     .     .    y    v    y    y.    y    y  107 

XII.  The   Letters    .....    ..    .    y    y    y  115 

XIIT.  In  a  Hard  Blow      .     .    y    .    y    .    y  I24 

XIV.  At  Snow  Lodge    .     .     .     .    y    .    y    y  134 

XV.  The  Snow  Slide       .     .     .    v    .    y    y  147 

XVI.  Lost  in  the  Woods      ....    .     .  154 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER 

XVII.  Henry   Burdock    .     . 

XVIII.  Snowballs      .      .      .j 

XIX.  Snap  Is  Gone       .     . 

XX.  The   Big   Storm    .     . 

XXI.  The  Falling  Tree     . 

XXII,  The  Missing  Money 


PAGE 

165 
176 
185 
193 
203 
206 


THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS 
AT  SNOW  LODGE 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  RUNAWAYS 

"Will  Snap  pull  us,  do  you  think,  Fred^ 
die?"  asked  little  Flossie  Bobbsey,  as  she 
anxiously  looked  at  her  small  brother,  who  was 
fastening  a  big,  shaggy  dog  to  his  sled  by 
means  of  a  home-made  harness.  "Do  you 
think  he'll  give  us  a  good  ride  ?  " 

Sure  he  will,  Flossie,"  answered  Freddie 
w:.h  an  air  of  wisdom.  "  I  explained  it  all  to 
him,  and  I've  tried  him  '.  little  bit.  He  pulled 
fine,  and  you  won't  be  much  heavier.  I'll  have 
the  harness  all  fixed  in  a  minute,  and  then  we'll 
have  a  grand  ride." 

"  Do  you  think  Snap  will  be  strong  enough 
to  pull  both  of  us?  "  asked  the  httle  girl. 

"Of  course  he  will!"   exclaimed   Freddie 
firmly.     **  He's  as  good  as  an  Esquimo  dog, 
i 


2    THE   BOBBSEY   TWINS   AT    SNOW   LODGE 

and  we  saw  some  pictures  of  them  pulling  sleds 
bigger  than  ours." 

^*  That's  so,"  admitted  Flossie.  "Well, 
hurry  up,  please,  Freddie  'cause  I'm  cold  stand- 
ing here,  and  I  want  to  get  under  the  blankets 
on  the  sled  and  have  a  nice  ride." 

"  I'll  hurry  all  right,  Flossie.  You  go  up 
there  by  Snap's  head  and  pat  him.  Then  he'll 
stand  stiller,  and  I  can  fix  the  harness  on  him 
quicker." 

Flossie,  with  a  shake  of  her  light  curls,  and 
a  stamp  of  her  little  feet  to  rid  them  of  the 
snow  from  the  drift  in  which  she  had  been 
standing,  went  closer  to  the  fine-looking  and 
intelligent  dog,  who  did  not  seem  to  mind 
being  all  tied  up  with  ropes  and  leather  straps 
to  Freddie's  sled. 

**  Good  old  Snap ! "  exclaimed  Flossie,  pat- 
ting his  head.  "  You're  going  to  give  Freddie 
and  me  a  fine  ride ;  aren't  you,  old  fellow  ?  " 

Snap  barked  and  wagged  his  tail  violently. 

"  Hey !  Stop  that !  "  cried  Freddie.  "  He's 
^  flopping  his  tail  right  in  my  face !  "  the  little 
boy  added.  "I  can't  see  to  fasten  this  strap. 
Hold  his  tail,  Flossie." 


THE   RUNAWAYS  3 

Snap,  hearing  the  voice  of  his  young  master 
- — one  of  his  two  masters  by  the  way — w^agged 
his  tail  harder  than  ever.  Freddie  made  a 
grab  for  it,  but  mJssed.  Flossie,  seeing  this, 
laughed  and  Snap,  thinking  it  was  a  great  joke, 
leaped  about  and  barked  with  delight.  He 
sprang  out  of  the  harness,  which  was  only 
partly  fastened  on,  and  began  leaping  about  in 
the  snow.  Finally  he  stood  up  on  his  hind 
legs  and  marched  about,  for  Snap  was  a  trick 
dog,  and  had  once  belonged  to  a  circus. 

"  There  now !  Look  at  that !  "  cried  Fred- 
die. He's  spoiled  'everything!  We'll  never 
get  him  hitched  up  now." 

''  It — it  wasn't  my  fault,"  said  Flossie,  a 
tear  or  two  coming  into  her  eyes. 

"  I  know  it  wasn't,  Flossie,"  replied  Fred- 
die, speaking  more  quietly.  "  It's  always  just 
that  way  with  Snap  when  he  gets  excited. 
Come  here ! "  he  called  to  the  dog,  "  and  let 
me  harness  you.     Come  here  Snap !  " 

The  dog  was  well  enough  trained  so  that 
he  knew  when  the  time  for  fun  was  over  and 
when  he  had  to  settle  down.  Still  wagging 
his  tail  joyously,  however.  Snap  came  up  to 


4    THE   BOBBSEY   TWINS    AT    SNOW   LODGE 

Freddie,  who  started  over  again  the  work  of 
harnessing  the  animal  to  the  sled. 

"  I  guess  you'd  better  stand  at  his  tail  in- 
stead of  at  his  head,"  said  Freddie.  "  So  when 
he  wags  it  you  can  grab  it,  Flossie,  and  hold 
it  still.  Then  it  won't  slap  me  in  the  face, 
and  I  can  see  what  Fm  doing.  Hold  his  tail, 
Flossie." 

"  Then  he  can't  wag  it,"  objected  the  little 
girl. 

"  I  know  he  can't.     I  don't  want  him  to." 

"  But  it  may  make  him  angry." 

*' Snap  never  gets  mad;  do  you.  Snap?" 
asked  Freddie,  and  the  dog's  bark  seemed  to 
say  "  No,  never !  " 

So  Flossie  held  the  dog's  tail,  while  Freddie 
put  on  the  harness  again.  This  time  he  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  it  all  arranged  to  suit  him, 
and  the  frisky  Snap  was  soon  made  fast  to 
the  sled. 

"  Now  get  on,  Flossie,"  called  her  brother, 
*'  and  we'll  see  how  fast  Snap  can  pull  us." 

"  But  don't  make  him  go  too  fast,  Freddie," 
begged  the  little  girl.  "  For  it's  hard  pulling 
in  the  snow." 


THE   RUNAWAYS  5 

"  No,  I'll  let  him  go  slow,"  promised  Fred- 
Hie.  "  But  it  won't  be  hard  work  pulling  us. 
My  sled  goes  awfully  easy,  anyhow." 

Freddie  tucked  Flossie  in  amid  the  robes 
and  rugs  which  the  children  had  taken  from  the 
house,  near  which  they  had  started  to  harness 
the  dog.  Then  Freddie  took  his  place  in  front 
of  his  sister,  holding  to  two  reins  that  were 
fastened  to  the  dog's  head.  .  Freddie  had  made 
no  bit,  such  as  is  used  for  horses  and  goats,  but 
he  thought  by  making  straps  fast  to  a  sort  of 
muzzle  by  which  he  could  guide  Snap,  by  pull- 
ing his  head  to  one  side  or  the  other. 

"  All  ready,  Flossie?  "  called  Freddie,  when 
he  himself  was  comfortable  on  the  sled. 

*'A11  ready,"  she  answered. 

"  Giddap,  Snap !  "  cried  Freddie,  and,  with 
a  bark,  off  the  dog  started,  pulling  the  sled 
and  the  two  children  after  him. 

"Oh,  he's  going!  He's  giving  us  a  ride! 
It's  as  real  as  anything ! "  cried  Flossie  in  de- 
light, holding  fast  to  the  sled.  "Oh,  Fred- 
die! " 

"  Of  course  it's  real!  "  said  Freddie.  "  Bert 
an'd  Nan  said  Snap  wouldn't  pull  us,  but  I 


6    THE   BOBBSEY   TWINS   AT    SNOW   LODGE 

knew  he  would.     I  just  wish  they  could  see  us 
now." 

As  if  in  answer  to  this  wish  a  little  later, 
when  the  two  smaller  twins  had  turned  a  cor- 
ner, they  saw  coming  toward  them  their  brother 
and  sister  Nan  and  Bert,  also  twins,  but  four 
years  older. 

"  Look,  look !  "  cried  Flossie  to  Nan.  "  See 
what  a  nice  ride  we're  having." 

"  Oh,  look,  Bert !  "  exclaimed  Nan.  "  Snap 
really  is  pulling  them,"  and  she  grasped  her 
brother's  arm.  Bert  was  pulling  his  owm  sled 
and  that  of  his  twin  sister. 

"  Yes,  he'll  pull  them  a  little  way,"  admitted 
Bert,  as  if  he  knew  all  about  it,  "  and  then,  the. 
first  thing  they  know,  Snap  will  turn  around 
short  and  tip  them  into  a  snowdrift.  He 
hasn't  been  trained  to  pull  a  sled,  no  matter 
how  many  other  tricks  he  can  do." 

"  I  trained  him  myself!  "  declared  Freddie, 
as  he  pulled  on  the  lines  to  bring  the  dog  to  a 
stop.  But  Snap,  seeing  Nan  and  Bert,  was 
eager  to  reach  them  to  be  patted  and  made 
much  of,  so  he  did  not  obey  the  command 
given  by  the  reins,  but  kept  on. 


THE   RUNAWAYS  7 

"  Whoa  there ! "  cried  Freddie,  holding 
back  with  all  his  little  strength. 

"  See,  I  told  you  he  wouldn't  mind,"  said 
Bert,  with  a  laugh. 

''  Oh,  but  isn't  it  cute ! "  exclaimed  Nan, 
clapping  her  hands.  "  I  didn't  think  they'd 
get  any  ride  at  all." 

"  We'll  show^  you !  We'll  have  a  fine 
ride ! "  panted  Freddie,  vainly  trying  to  make 
Snap  halt. 

Then  just  what  Bert  said  would  happen 
seemed  about  to  take  place.  The  dog  leaped 
around,  and  turned  short  to  get  nearer  to  the 
older  Bobbsey  tvv'ins. 

*'  Look  out !  "  cried  Bert,  but  his  warning 
came  too  late. 

Over  went  the  sled,  and  Flossie  and  Fred- 
die were  pitched  from  it  into  a  big,  fluffy  bank 
of  snow,  falling  into  it  deeply,  but  with  no 
more  harm  to  them  than  if  they  had  landed  on 
a  bed  of  feathers. 

"  Oh  dear !  "  cried  Flossie,  as  she  felt  her- 
self shooting  toward  the  snow. 

"Whoa  there!  Whoa!  Don't  you  run 
away.    Snap ! "    shouted    Freddie.     Then    his 


fe  tHE  bobbsey  twins  at  snow  lodge 

mouth  was  filled  with  snow  and  he  could  say 
nothing  more. 

"Oh,  Bert!  They'll  be  smothered!"  cried 
Nan.     "  Help  me  get  them  out !  " 

Bert  was  laughing,  and  trying  to  defend 
himself  against  the  jumping  up  of  Snap,  who 
seemed  to  want  to  hug  the  boy  with  his  paws. 

"  Stop  laughing !  Help  me !  "  ordered  Nan, 
who  was  already  trying  to  lift  Flossie  from 
her  snowy  bed. 

"  I  can't  help  laughing — Freddie  looked  so 
funny  when  he  went  over,"  said  Bert. 
"  There's  no  danger  of  smothering,  though. 
That  snow  is  as  dry  as  sand.  Here  you  go, 
Freddie.  Give  me  your  hand  and  I'll  pull  you 
out." 

In  a  few  seconds  the  smaller  Bobbsey  twins 
stood  beside  their  larger  brother  and  sister, 
while  Snap  capered  about  them,  barking  loudly 
and  wagging  his  tail. 

"  Oh,  he's  got  loose,  and  the  harness  is  all 
broken,"  said  Freddie,  and  tears  of  disappoint- 
ment stood  in  his  blue  eyes. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Bert.  "  I'll  help  you 
make   a  better  harness   to-morrow,    Freddie. 


THE   RUNAWAYS  9 

That  one  wasn't  strong  enough  for  Snap,  any- 
how.   I'll  fix  it  differently." 

**  Oh,  but  we  were  going  to  have  such  a  fine 
ride ! "  said  Flossie,  who  was  also  ready  to  cry. 
The  smaller  twins  were  only  about  five  years 
old,  so  it  might  have  been  expected.  ,, 

"Well,  come  on  and  go  coasting  with  Bert 
and  me,"  said  Nan,  as  she  patted  her  little  sis- 
ter's head.  "  We're  going  over  on  the  long 
hill.  It's  fine  there,  and  you'll  have  just  as 
much  fun  as  if  you  had  Snap  to  pull  you." 

"  Shall  we  go,  Freddie?  "  asked  Flossie,  who 
generally  depended  on  him  to  start  their 
amusements. 

"  I  guess  so,"  he  answered.  '*  This  harness 
is  all  busted,  anyhow." 

Sadly  he  looked  at  the  tangled  strings  and 
straps  fast  to  the  sled,  where  Snap  had  broken 
away  from  them.  The  harness  Freddie  had 
made  with  such  care  was  all  broken  now. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Bert  again.  "  I'll  make 
you  a  better  one  to-morrow,  Freddie.  Come 
along  now,  and  we'll  have  some  fun.  And 
when  w^e  get  through  coasting  I'll  buy  every- 
body a  hot  chocolate  soda." 


10    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"Really?"  asked  Flossie,  her  sorrow  for- 
gotten now. 

*'  Sure  thing,"  promised  Bert. 

"Come  on,  then,  Freddie,"  said  his  little' 
sister.    "  We  can  harness  Snap  up  to-morrow." 

The  useless  harness  was  taken  to  the  Bobb- 
sey  home,  not  far  away,  and  then  the  four 
twins — the  two  sets  of  them,  as  it  were — 
started  for  the  coasting  hill,  Flossie  and  Fred- 
die having  one  sled  between  them,  and  Nan 
and  Bert  each  having  one  of  their  own. 

On  the  way  to  the  hill  they  met  many  of 
their  friends,  also  bound  for  the  same  place. 
School  was  just  out  and  the  boys  and  girls 
were  eager  to  have  a  good  time  in  the  snow. 

"  There's  Charley  Mason !  "  exclaimed  Bert, 
seeing  a  boy  he  knew.  "  Hello,  Charley !  "  he 
called.     "  Going  coasting?  " 

"  Sure.  Where's  the  big  bob?  "  For  some 
time  before  this  Bert  and  Charley  had  made, 
in  partnership,  a  large  bob  sled. 

**  Oh,  I  didn't  know  you'd  be  out,  or  I'd 
have  brought  it,"  replied  Bert.  "  Anyhow,  I 
promised  Nan  Fd  coast  with  her." 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right     I  guess  the  hiH  will 


THE   RUNAWAYS  II 

be  too  crowded  for  a  bob,  anyhow.  Danny 
Rugg  was  taking  his  over,  though,  for  I  saw 
him  and  some  of  his  crowd  hauHng  it  from 
his  barn  a  httle  while  ago.'* 

"  Well,  let  'em.  We  can  get  ours  later.  Got 
a  new  sled  ?  "  and  Bert  looked  admiringly  at 
the  one  Charley  was  pulling. 

"  No,  it's  only  my  old  one  painted  over. 
But  it  makes  it  look  like  new." 

"  We  had  Snap  hitched  up,  but  he  broke 
loose,"  said  Freddie.  "  But  we're  going  to 
Jiave  a  stronger  harness  to-morrow." 

"  That's  good,"  said  Charley,  with  a  broad 
smile. 

Soon  the  children  Vv'ere  on  the  hill.  There 
was  a  large  crowd  of  coasters  there,  and  fun 
was  at  its  height.  There  was  merry  shouting 
and  laughter,  and  several  spills  and  upsets.  As 
Bert  had  said,  the  hill  was  very  much  crowded. 

"  I  thought  it  would  be  no  good  for  a  bob," 
he  remarked. 

"  There  goes  Danny  Rugg  now ! "  ex- 
claimed Charley.  "  He's  giving  orders  to 
everyone." 

"  He'd  better  not  give   any  to   me,"    said 


12    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

Bert,  in  a  quiet  voice,  but  with  determination 
in  his  tones. 

''Oh,  Bert!"  exclaimed  Nan.  "Please 
don't   have    any    fuss;    will    you?" 

"Not  on  my  part,"  said  Bert.  *' But  if 
Danny  Rugg  thinks  he  can  boss  me  he  is  mis- 
taken." 

It  was  evident  that  Danny  liked  to  play  mas- 
ter. He  could  be  heard  giving  orders  to  this 
one  and  the  other  one  to  get  out  of  the  way, 
to  pull  his  bob  around  in  place,  and  then  to 
shove  it  off  with  its  load  of  boys  and  girls. 

Now,  though  Danny  was  a  bully,  some  of  the 
children  were  friendly  with  him  for  the  sake  of 
getting  a  ride  on  his  sled,  which  was  a  large 
and  expensive  one. 

Bert  and  Nan,  and  Flossie  and  Freddie,  soon 
were  coasting  with  their  friends,  having  a  good 
time  on  the  hill.  The  two  smaller  twins  went 
down  together. 

As  Freddie  came  up  the  long  slope,  pulling 
his  sled  in  readiness  for  another  trip,  Danny 
Rugg  with  his  bob  reached  the  head  of  the 
slope  at  the  same  time. 

"  Say,  Danny,  give  me  a  ride  this  trip;  won't 


THE  RUNAWAYS 


13 


you  ?  "  begged  a  small  boy,  who  had  no  sled, 
but  who  often  did  errands  for  the  bully,  and 
played  mean  tricks  for  him  that  Danny  was 
too  lazy  to  play  himself.  "  Let  me  go  on  ^y our 
bob?" 

''  Not  this  time,  Sim,"  said  Danny.  "  The 
bob  is  going  to  be  filled.  But  here,  you  can 
take  Freddie  Bobbsey's  sled.  He  doesn't  want 
it,"  and  without  giving  Freddie  time  to  say 
whether  he  did  or  not  Danny  snatched  the  sled 
rope  from  him  and  held  it  out  to  Sim  Watson. 

For  a  moment  Freddie  was  too  surprised  to 
utter  a  protest  and  then,  as  he  realized  what 
had  happened,  he  cried  out: 

"  Here,  Danny  Rugg,  you  let  my  sled  alone ! 
I  do  want  it !     Give  it  back  to  me !  " 

"  Aw,  go  on !  "  said  Danny.  "  You've  had 
rides  enough.  Let  Sim  take  your  sled,  or  Fll 
punch  you ! "  and  Danny  gave  Freddie  a 
shove,  and  held  out  the  rope  of  the  sled  to  Sim. 

"Stop  it!"  cried  Freddie.  "Fll  tell  Bert 
on  you." 

"  Pooh!  Think  Fm  afraid  of  your  brother! 
I  can  handle  him  with  one  hand  tied  behind  my 
back." 


■14     THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  Then  it's  time  you  started  in !  "  exclaimed 
a  voice  just  back  of  Danny,  and  the  bully 
turned  suddenly  to  see  Bert  standing  near  him. 
Danny's  face  flushed,  and  then  grew  pale.  Be- 
fore he  could  make  a  move  Bert  grabbed  away 
from  him  the  rope  of  Freddie's  sled,  which 
Sim  had  not  yet  taken,  and  passed  it  back  to 
his  small  brother. 

"Don't  you  try  that  again,"  w^arned  Bert. 

**  I  will  if  I  want  to,"  said  Danny,  meanly. 
"  I'm  not  afraid  of  you." 

"  Maybe  not,"  said  Bert,  quietly,  "  and  I'm 
not  afraid  of  you,  either.  But  if  you  take  my 
brother's  sled  for  some  of  your  friends  you'll 
have  to  settle  with  me.  You  leave  Freddie 
alone;  do  you  hear?  " 

"  I  don't  have  to  mind  you !  " 

**  We'll  see  about  that.  Go  ahead,  Freddie. 
You  and  Flossie  coast  as  much  as  you  like,  and 
if  Danny  bothers  you  any  more  let  me  know." 

Danny,  with  an  uneasy  laugh,  turned  aside. 
Some  of  his  particular  chums  gathered  about, 
him,  and  one  murmured: 

"  Why  don't  you  fight  him?  " 
-     For  a  moment   it  looked  as  though  there 


THE  RUNAWAYS  ,15 

might  be  trouble,  but  an  instant  later  all 
thoughts  of  it  passed,  for  a  series  of  girls' 
screams  came  from  midway  down  the  long 
hill. 

All  eyes  were  turned  in  that  direction,  and 
those  at  the  top  of  the  slope  saw  a  team  of 
runaway  horses,  attached  to  a  heavy  bobsled, 
plunging  madly  up  the  hill. 

And,  right  in  the  path  of  the  frightened  ani- 
mals was  Nan  Bobbsey,  and  one  or  two  other 
girls,  on  their  sleds,  coasting  straight  for  the 
runaways. 

A  cry  of  fear  came  from  Bert  Bobbsey  as 
he  noticed  his  sister's  danger. 


CHAPTER   II 


OLD    MR.    CARFORD 


"  Stop  the  horses !  *' 

"  Yes,  grab  them,  somebody,  or  they^ll  mn 
into  the  girls ! '' 

"  Look  out,  everybody,  they're  coming  right 
this  way ! " 

"  I'm  going  to  get  my  bob  to  a  safe  place ! " 

It  was  Danny  Rugg  who  called  out  this  last, 
and  the  other  boys  had  shouted  the  previous 
expressions,  as  they  watched  the  oncoming, 
runaway  horses. 

.  Bert  Bobbsey  had  thrown  himself  on  his 
sled  and  was  coasting  toward  the  group  of 
girls,  of  whom  his  sister  Nan  was  one.  They 
were  on  their  sleds  in  the  very  path  of  the 
team.  It  seemed  that  nothing  could  save  them. 
But  Bert  had  a  plan  in  his  mind. 

And,  while  he  was  preparing  to  carry  it  out, 
I   will    take   just   a   moment  to  tell  my  new 
i6 


OLD   MR.    CARFORD 


17 


readers  something  about  the  characters  of  this 
story,  and  the  books  that  have  gone  before  in 
the  series. 

Bert  and  Nan,  Freddie  and  Flossie  Bobbsey 
were  the  twin  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rich- 
ard Bobbsey,  who  Hved  in  an  Eastern  city 
called  Lakeport,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Metoka. 
Mr.  Bobbsey  was  a  prosperous  lumber  mer- 
chant. Other  members  of  the  household  were 
Dinah  and  Sam  Johnson.  Dinah  was  the 
cook,  fat  and  good-natured.  Sam  was  her  hus- 
band, slim  and  also  good-natured.  He  did  all 
sorts  of  work  about  the  place,  from  making 
garden  to  shoveling  snow. 

Then  there  was  Downy,  a  pet  duck;  Snoop, 
a  pet  black  cat,  and,  of  late.  Snap,  the  fine 
trick  dog,  who  had  come  into  the  possession  of 
the  Bobbseys  in  a  peculiar  manner. 

In  the  first  book  of  this  series,  entitled  "  The 
Bobbsey  Twins,"  I  told  of  the  good  times 
the  four  children  had  in  their  home.  How 
they  played  in  the  snow,  went  coasting,  helped 
to  discover  what  they  thought  was  a  "  ghost," 
and  did  many  other  things.  Bert  even  went 
for  a  sail  in  an  ice  boat  he  and  Charley  Mason 


l8    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT   SNOW  LODGE 

had  made,  though  it  was  almost  more  than 
the  boys  could  manage  at  times. 

The  second  volume,  called  "  The  Bobbsey 
Twins  in  the  Country,"  told  of  the  good  times 
the  four  had  w^hen  they  went  to  the  farm  of 
Uncle  Daniel  Bobbsey  and  his  wife.  Aunt 
Sarah,  who  lived  at  Meadow  Brook. 

Such  fun  as  there  was ! 

There  w^as  a  country  picnic,  sport  in  the 
woods,  and  a  great  Fourth  of  July  celebration. 
A  circus  gave  a  chance  to  have  other  good 
tim^es,  and  though  once  there  was  a  midnight 
scare,  it  all  turned  out  happily. 

But  though  the  twins  had  much  happiness  in 
the  country  they  were  destined  to  have  still 
more  fun  when  they  went  to  the  ocean  shore, 
and  in  the  third  book,  called  ''  The  Bobbsey 
Twins  at  the  Seashore,"  I  related  all  that  hap- 
pened to  them  there. 

They  went  on  a  visit  to  their  uncle,  William 
Minturn,  who  lived  at  Ocean  Cliff,  and  their 
cousin  Dorothy  showed  them  many  strange 
scenes  and  sights.  They  had  most  delightful 
times,  and  toward  the  close  of  their  visit  there 
was  a  great  storm  at  sea,  and  a  shipwreck. 


OLD   MR,   CARFORD  19 

The  life  savers  were  on  hand,  however,  and 
did  such  good  w^ork  that  no  one  was  drowned. 
And  if  you  want  to  learn  how  a  certain  little 
girl  was  made  very  happy,  when  she  found 
that  her  father  w^as  among  those  saved,  you 
must  read  the  book. 

Then,  after  the  storm  ceased,  there  were 
more  happy  days  at  the  shore.  The  time  for 
the  Bobbseys  to  leave  came  all  too  soon. 
School  was  about  to  open,  and  even  the  smaller 
twins  must  now  settle  down  to  regular  lessons. 

In  the  fourth  book  of  the  series,  called 
**  The  Bobbsey  Twins  at  School,"  there  is  told 
of  the  start  for  home. 

But  many  things  happened  before  the  family 
arrived.  There  was  the  wreck  of  the  circus 
train,  the  escape  of  the  animals,  the  meeting 
with  the  very  fat  lady,  and  the  loss  of  Snoop, 
the  pet  cat.  Then,  too,  a  valuable  cup  the 
smaller  Bobbsey  twins  had  been  drinking  from, 
seemed  to  be  lost,  and  they  were  very  sorry 
about  it. 

On  the  way  home  something  else  occurred. 
They  were  followed  in  the  dark  by  some 
strange  animal.     At  first  they  feared  it  was 


20    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

some  wild  beast  from  the  circus  but  it  proved 
to  be  only  a  friendly  dog. 

How  Flossie  and  Freddie  insisted  on  keep- 
ing the  dog,  now  that  their  pet  cat  Snoop  was 
gone,  how  they  named  him  Snap,  and  how  it 
was  discovered  that  he  could  do  tricks,  are  all 
part  of  the  story. 

There  were  many  more  happenings  after 
the  twins  started  in  at  school.  Mr.  Bobbsey's 
boathouse  caught  fire  in  a  mysterious  manner. 
Snap  was  found  to  be  a  circus  dog,  and  it  was 
pretty  certain  that  the  fat  lady  in  the  train  had 
also  belonged  to  the  show,  and  that  it  was  she 
who  had  the  valuable  silver  cup. 

In  time  all  was  straightened  out,  and  how 
Snoop  came  back  from  the  circus  in  far-off 
Cuba,  how  Snap  was  allowed  to  stay  with  the 
Bobbseys,  and  how  even  the  cup  was  finally 
recovered — all  this  you  will  find  set  down  in 
the  fourth  book  of  this  series. 

And  now  winter  had  come  in  earnest, 
though  even  before  this  story  opens  the  Bobb- 
sey  twins  had  had  a  taste  of  snow  and  ice. 
The  accident  on  the  coasting  hill  now  occupied 
the  attention  of  all. 


OLD   MR.   CARFORD  2t 

''Oh,  Nan!  Nan  will  be  killed!"  cried 
•Flossie,  as  she  stood  with  Freddie  gazing  down 
the  slope. 

"No,  she  won't!"  exclaimed  Freddie. 
"Bert  is  going  to  save  her — you'll  see!" 

"  Oh,  if  he  only  can !  "  murmured  Nellie 
Parks,  one  of  Nan's  friends. 

"  I  think  he  will !  See,  he  is  coming  nearer 
to  them,"  added  Grace  Lavine,  another  friend. 

Danny  Rugg,  mean  as  he  was,  was  not  quite 
so  mean  as  to  discourage  this  hope.  Some  of 
the  girls  on  the  sleds  that  were  coming  nearer 
to  the  rushing  horses  seemed  about  to  roll  off, 
rather  than  take  chances  of  steering  out  of 
the  way  of  the  steeds. 

"What  can  Bert  be  going  to  do?"  asked 
Grace.     "  How  can  he  save  them?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Nellie.  "  Let's 
watch  him.  Maybe  he's  going  to  stop  the 
horses." 

"  He'd  never  dare !  "  murmured  Grace. 

"  Oh,  Bert  is  brave,"  was  the  answer. 

But  Bert  had  no  intention  of  leaping  for 
the  horses'  heads  just  now.  His  first  idea  was 
to  gQt  his  sister  and  the  other  girls  to  a  place 


22    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

of  safety.  As  he  came  near  to  them,  his  sled 
going  much  faster  than  theirs,  he  called  out: 

"  Steer  to  the  right !  Go  to  the  right !  Ill 
see  if  I  can't  make  the  horses  go  over  to  one 
side." 

''All  right!"  cried  Nan,  who  understood 
what  her  brother  meant.  "  Keep  to  the  right, 
girls,"  she  called  to  her  frightened  chums, 
"  and  don't  any  of  you  fall  off !  " 

Those  who  had  been  about  to  roll  from 
their  sleds  now  held  on  with  firmer  clasps. 
They  were  close  to  the  runaway  team  now. 
Bert  was  near  to  them  also,  and,  while  won- 
dering to  whom  they  belonged,  and  whether 
they  had  injured  their  driver  or  anyone  els-e 
in  their  mad  rush,  he  caught  up  a  handful  of 
snow  as  his  sled  glided  onward. 

It  was  hard  work  to  throw  the  snow  ball  at 
the  horses,  going  down  hill  as  he  was,  but  Bert 
managed  to  do  it.  He  had  the  good  luck  to 
hit  one  of  the  animals  with  the  wad  of  snow, 
and  this  sent  the  horse  over  to  one  side,  its 
mate  following.  This  was  just  what  Bert 
wanted,  as  it  gave  Nan  and  the  others  more 
room  to  coast  past  them. 


OLD   MR.   CARFORD  23 

And  this  is  just  what  the  girls  did.  Their 
sleds  whizzed  past  the  runaways,  one  sled,  on 
which  Hattie  Jenson  rode,  almost  grazing  a 
hoof. 

"  Now  you're  safe ! "  cried  Bert.  "  Keep 
on  to  the  foot  of  the  hill !     You're  all  right !  " 

He  gathered  up  another  handful  of  snow, 
and  threw  it  at  the  steeds,  making  them  swerve 
more  than  ever  towards  the  side  of  the  hill. 
Then  one  of  the  animals  slipped  and  stumbled. 
This  caused  themi  both  to  slow  up,  and  Bert, 
seeing  this,  left  his  sled,  rolling  off,  and  letting 
it  go  down  without  him. 

Hardly  thinking  of  what  he  was  doing,  he 
ran  for  the  heads  of  the  horses.  Perhaps  it 
w^as  not  just  wise,  for  Bert  was  not  very  tall, 
but  he  was  brave.  However,  he  was  not  to 
stop  the  runaways  all  alone,  for  just  then  some 
of  the  larger  boys,  who  had  been  rushing  down 
the  hill,  came  up,  and  before  the  horses  could 
start  off  again  several  lads  had  grasped  them 
by  the  bridles  and  were  quieting  them. 

"  That  w^as  a  good  idea  of  yours,  Bert 
Bobbsey,"  said  Frank  Miller.  "A  fine  idea, 
to  throw  snowballs  at  them.     It  made  them 


24    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

go  to  one  side  all  right,  and  slowed  them  up." 

"  I  wanted  to  save  the  girls,"  said  Bert,  who 
was  panting  from  his  little  run. 

"Whose  team  is  it?"  asked  another  boy. 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Bert.  "  I  can't 
say  that  I  ever  saw  them  before.  There's  no 
one  in  the  sled,  anyhow,  though  it  is  pretty 
well  loaded  with  stuff." 

He  and  the  other  boys  looked  into  the  ve- 
hicle. It  contained  a  number  of  boxes  and 
bags.  Then  the  boys  looked  down  the  hill  and 
saw  that  the  girls  who  had  been  in  danger  were 
now  safe.  Nan  and  the  others  were  walking 
up,  dragging  their  sleds. 

The  boys  then  noticed  a  man  half  running 
up  the  slope.  He  was  waving  his  arms  in  an 
excited  fashion. 

"  I  guess  that's  the  man  who  owns  the 
horses,"  said  Charley  Mason. 

There  was  no  doubt  of  it  a  few  minutes 
later,  when  the  man  came  close  enough  to  make 
himself  heard. 

"  !^re  they  all  right,  boys  ? "  he  asked. 
"  Are  my  horses  hurt?  " 

"They  don't  seem  to  be,"  answered  Frant. 


OLD   MR.   CARFORD  25 

*' That's  good.     Are  my  things  all  right?" 

"  Everything  seems  to  be  here,"  said  Char- 
ley Mason,  who  was  standing  beside  Bert.  "  I 
know  who  he  is  now,"  went  on  Charley  in  a 
low  tone  to  his  chum.  "  He's  Mr.  James  Car- 
ford,  of  Newton." 

"  He's  lame,"  observed  Bert,  for  the  man 
lim.ped  slightly. 

"  Yes,  he  was  in  the  war,"  went  on  Charley. 
"  He's  real  rich,  too,  but  peculiar,  they  say." 

By  this  time  aged  Mr.  Carford  was  looking 
over  the  team  and  the  sled  and  its  contents. 
He  seemed  weary  and  out  of  breath. 

"  Yes,  everything  is  all  right,"  he  said 
slowly.  "  I  hope  no  one  was  hurt  by  my  run- 
aways. I  never  knew  'em  to  do  that  before. 
I  left  'em  outside  the  store  a  minute  while  I 
went  in  to  get  something,  and  they  must  have 
taken  fright.     I  hope  no  one  was  hurt." 

"  No,  everyone  got  out  of  the  way  in  time," 
said  Bert. 

"That's  good.  Who  stopped  the  horses?" 
%he  old  man  asked. 

"Bert  Bobbsey,"  answered  Frank  Miller. 
"He  warned  his  sister  and  the  other  girls  to 


26    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT   SNOW  LODGE 

Steer  to  one  side,  and  then  he  threw  snow  at 
the  horses  and  made  thern  fall  down.  Then 
they  slowed  up  so  we  could  grab  'em." 

''Ha!  Bert  Bobbsey  did  that,  eh?"  ex- 
claimed aged  Mr.  Carford.  "  So  this  is  the 
second  time  a  Bobbsey  has  mixed  up  in  my 
family  affairs.  The  second  time,"  and  Mr. 
Carford  looked  at  Bert  in  a  peculiar  manner. 

"Did  you  fall  out  of  the  sled,  Mr.  Car- 
ford?" asked  another  boy,  coming  up  just 
then. 

"  No,  they  started  off  when  I  was  in  the 
store.  Funny,  too,  that  they  should.  Well, 
I'm  glad  there's  no  one  hurt  and  no  damage 
done.  I  couldn't  walk  home  to  Newton. 
I'm  much  obliged  to  you  boys.  And  to  you 
too,  Bert  Bobbsey. 

"  Are  you  Richard  Bobbsey's  son?  "  he  sud- 
denly asked,  peering  at  Bert  from  beneath  his 
shaggy  eyebrows. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Ha !  I  thought  so.  You  look  like  him. 
You  do  things  like  him,  too,  without  stopping 
to  be  asked.  Yes,  this  is  the  second  time  a 
Bobbsey  has  meddled  with  my  family  affairs. 


OLD   MR.   CARFORD  27 

Trying  to  do  me  a  good  turn,  I  6uppose. 
Well,  well !  "  and  he  seemed  lost  in  thought. 

"  What  is  it?  What  is  the  matter?  "  asked 
Nan,  in  a  low  voice  of  her  brother,  as  she 
came  to  stand  beside  him.  "  Is  he  finding 
fault  because  you  helped  stop  his  runav/ay 
horses?  " 

'*  No,  Nan.  I  don't  exactly  understand 
what  he  does  mean,"  answered  Bert.  "  There 
seems  to  be  some  mystery  about  it." 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  BIG  SNOWBALL 

For  a  time  Mr.  Car  ford  seemed  more  wor- 
ried about  the  possible  injury  to  his  team,  and 
the  loss  of  some  of  his  goods  in  the  sled,  than 
he  was  concerned  about  thanking  the  boys  who 
had  stopped  the  runaways.  Then,  as  he  found 
by  looking  them  over,  that  the  horses  were  all 
right,  and  that  nothing  was  missing,  he  ap- 
proached Bert  and  the  others,  saying: 

"  Well,  boys,  I'm  much  obliged  to  you.  I 
can't  tell  you  how  much.  No  telling  what 
damage  the  horses  might  have  done  if  you 
hadn't  stopped  'em.  And  Fm  glad  no  one 
was  hurt. 

"  Now  I  reckon  you  boys  aren't  much  dif- 
ferent than  I  was,  when  I  was  a  youngster, 
and  I  guess  you  like  sweets  about  the  same. 
Here  are  a  couple  of  dollars,  Bert  Bobbsey.  I 
28 


THE  BIG   SNOWBALIv  29 

wish  you'd  treat  all  your  friends  to  hot  choco- 
late soda  or  candy  or  whatever  you  like  best. 
It  isn't  exactly  pay  for  what  you  did,  but  it 
just  shows  I'm  not  forgetful." 

"  Oh,  we  didn't  stop  the  horses  for 
money ! "  cried  Bert,  drawing  back. 

"  I  know  you  didn't,"  answered  Mr.  Car- 
ford,  with  a  smile,  "and  I'm  not  paying  you, 
either.  You  stopped  the  horses,  or  you  tried 
to  stop  them,  Bert,  to  save  your  sister  and  the 
other  girls.  I  understand  that  all  right.  But 
the  horses  were  stopped  just  the  same,  and 
please  take  this  as  a  little  thank  offering,  if 
nothing  else.     Please  do." 

He  held  out  the  two-dollar  bill,  and  Bert 
did  not  feel  like  refusing.  He  accepted  the 
money  with  murmured  thanks,  and  as  Mr. 
Carford  climbed  into  the  sled,  limping  more 
than  ever  after  his  run  up  the  hill,  the  aged 
man  muttered: 

"The  second  time  a  Bobbsey  has  been 
mixed  up  in  my  affairs.  I  wonder  v/hat  will 
happen  when  the  third  time  comes  ?  " 

Calling  good-byes  to  the  boys  and  girls,  and 
again  thanking  them  for  what  they  had  done. 


30 


THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 


Mr.  Carford  drove  off  amid  a  jingle  of  bells. 

"What  do  you  s'pose  he  meant  by  saying 
.  this  was  the  second  time  a  Bobbsey  had  been 
\  mixed  up  in  his  family  affairs  ?  ''  asked  Char- 
ley Mason  of  Bert 

"  I  haven't  the  least  idea.  I  never  knew 
Mr.  Carford  before  this.     I'll  ask  my  father." 

"Is  that  bill  real?^  asked  one  boy,  refer- 
ring to  the  money. 

"  It  sure  is,"  answered  Bert,  looking  at  it. 
'*  Come  on  to  the  drugstore  and  we'll  spend 
it.     That's  what  it's  for." 

"  Going  to  treat  Danny  Rugg,  and  his 
crowd,  too?"  asked  Frank  Miller. 

"  Well,  I  guess  Mr.  Carford  wanted  this 
money  to  be  spent  on  everyone  on  the  hill,  so 
it  includes  Danny,"  answered  Bert  slowly. 

But  Danny  and  his  particular  friends  held 
back  from  Bert,  and  did  not  share  in  the  treat. 
Probably  Danny  did  not  want  to  come  to  too 
close  quarters  with  Bert  after  the  attempt 
made  to  get  Freddie's  sled. 

The  excitement  caused  by  the  runaway  was 
over  now.  Bert  got  back  his  sled  and,  as  in- 
terest in  coasting  had  waned  at  the  prospect 


THE   BIG   SNOWBALL  3 1 

of  hot  chocolate  sodas,  the  crowd  of  boys  and 
girls  trooped  from  the  hill  and  started  toward 
town,  where  there  was  a  favorite  drug  store. 

Standing  about  the  soda  counter  the  boys 
and  girls  discussed  the  recent  happening. 

"  What  did  you  think,  Nan,  when  you  saw 
the  team  coming?  "  asked  Grace  Lavine. 

"  I  really  don't  knov/  what  I  did  think,"  an- 
swered Nan. 

*' Weren't  you  awfully  frightened?"  in- 
quired Nellie  Parks. 

"  Oh,  I  suppose  I  was.  But  I  hoped  I 
could  steer  out  of  the  way,  and  I  remember 
hoping  that  Flossie  and  Freddie  were  in  a 
safe  place." 

"  Oh,  we  were  all  right,"  said  Freddie 
quickly.  "  Flossie  and  I  were  watching  the 
horses.  This  chocolate  is  awful  good ! "  he 
added  with  a  sigh.  "  Is  there  any  money  left, 
Bert?" 

"  Yes,  a  little,"  answered  his  brother. 
"  But  you  have  had  your  share." 

"  Oh,  if  there  is  any  left  let  him  and  Flos- 
sie have  it,"  suggested  Grace.  "They're  the 
smallest  ones  here." 


32    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  Yes,  do,"  urged  Nellie,  and  as  several 
others  agreed  that  this  was  the  thing  to  do, 
the  two  little  Bobbsey  twins  each  had  another 
cup  of  chocolate. 

**  Though  Freddie  has  almost  as  much  out- 
side his  mouth  as  inside  it,"  said  Nan,  with 
a  laugh. 

Then  the  merry  party  of  boys  and  girls 
trooped  homeward,  Bert  and  Nan  thinking  on 
the  way  of  the  strange  words  of  Mr.  Carford 
and  wondering  what  he  meant  by  them. 

Several  of  the  older  boys,  who  knew  the 
old  gentleman,  told  something  of  him.  He 
was  a  strange  character,  living  in  a  fine  old 
homestead.  He  was  said  to  be  queer  on  cer- 
tain matters,  but  kind  and  good,  and  quite 
charitable,  especially  at  Christmas  time,  to  the 
poor  of  that  country  neighborhood. 

*^  We'll  ask  papa  about  him  when  we  get 
home,"  said  Bert.     "  Maybe  he  can  explain  it." 

But  when  the  Bobbsey  twins  reached  their 
house  they  found  that  their  father  had  sud- 
denly been  called  away  on  a  business  trip  to 
last  for  some  days,  and  so  they  did  not  see 
him. 


THE  BIG  SNOWBALL 


33 


"  I  haven't  the  least  idea  what  Mr.  Carford 
neant,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey,  when  they  had 
asked  her.  "  I  did  not  even  know  that  your 
father  knew  him.  I  am  sorry  you  children 
were  in  danger  on  the  hill." 

"  Oh,  it  wasn't  much,  mother,"  said  Bert 
quickly,  for  he  feared  if  his  parent  grew  too 
worried  she  might  put  a  stop  to  the  winter 
fun. 

Supper  was  soon  ready  and  then  came  a 
happy  period  before  bedtime — that  is  happy 
after  lessons  had  been  learned.  Snoop  the 
black  cat,  and  Snap,  the  smart  circus  dog, 
w^ere  allowed  in  the  living  room,  to  do  some 
of  their  tricks,  Snoop  having  been  taught  a 
number  w^hile  with  the  fat  lady  in  the  circus. 

Bert  fell  asleep  vainly  w'ondering  about  the 
queer  words  of  Mr.  Carford,  and  he  dreamed 
that  he  was  sliding  dow^n  hill  on  the  back  of 
a  horse  who  turned  somersaults,  every  now 
and  then,  into  a  bag  of  popcorn. 

Coasting  came  to  an  end  the  next  day,  for 
there  was  a  big  snow  storm,  and  the  hill 
would  not  be  in  good  condition  until  the  white 
flakes  were  packed  hard  on  the  slope.     But 


^4    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT   SNOW  LODGE 

there  were  other  forms  of  sport — snowball- 
ing, the  making  of  forts,  snow  houses  and 
snow  men,  so  that  the  Bobbseys  and  their 
friends  were  kept  busy. 

Then  came  a  little  thaw,  and  the  snow  was 
just  soft  enough  to  roll  into  big  balls. 

"  It's  just  right  for  making  a  large  fort !  " 
exclaimed  Danny  Rugg  one  day,  after  school 
was  out.  "  We'll  roll  up  a  lot  of  big  balls, 
put  them  in  lines  on  four  sides  and  make  a 
square  fort.  Then  we'll  choose  sides  and 
have  a  snow  fight." 

The  other  boys  agreed  to  this,  and  soon 
Bert  and  the  others,  including  Danny  and  his 
friends,  w^ere  busily  engaged.  For  the  time 
being  the  hard  feeling  between  Danny  and 
Bert  was  forgotten. 

The  fort  was  finished,  and  there  was  a  spir- 
ited snow  battle  about  it,  one  side  trying  to 
capture  it  and  the  other  trying  to  stop  them. 
Bert's  side  managed  to  get  into  the  fort,  driv- 
ing the  others  out. 

"  Oh,  we'll  beat  you  to-morrow !  "  taunted 
Danny,  when  the  battle  was  over. 

The  next  morning,  when  the  children  as- 


THE   BIG   SNOWBALL  35 

sembled  at  school,  they  saw  a  strange  sight. 
On  the  front  steps  of  the  building  was  a  great 
snowball,  so  large  that  it  almost  hid  the  door 
from  sight  And  working  at  it,  trying  to  cut 
it  away  so  that  the  entrance  could  be  used, 
was  the  janitor.  He  was  having  hard  work 
it  seemed- 

"Who  did  it?" 

**Who  put  it  there?" 

"  Say,  it's  frozen  fast,  too !  " 

"  Somebody  will  get  into  trouble  about 
this." 

These  fwere  only  a  few  of  the  things  said 
when  the  children  saw  the  big  snowball  on  the 
school  steps. 

"  It's  frozen  fast  all  right  enough,"  said 
the  janitor,  grimly.  "  Whoever  put  it  there 
poured  water  over  it,  and  it's  frozen  so  fast 
that  I'll  have  to  chop  it  away  piece  by  piece. 
All  day  it  will  take  me,  too,  and  me  with  all 
the  paths  to  clean !  " 

When  the  classes  were  assembled  for  the 
morning  exercises  Mr.  Tetlow,  the  school 
principal,  stepped  to  the  edge  of  the  platform, 
and  said: 


2,e    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  I  presume  you  have  all  seen  the  big  snow- 
ball on  the  front  steps.  Whoever  put  it  there 
did  a  very  wrong  thing.  I  know  several  boys 
must  have  had  a  hand  in  it,  for  one  could  not 
do  it  alone.  I  will  now  give  those  who  did 
it  a  chance  to  confess.  If  they  will  admit  it, 
and  apologize,  I  will  let  the  matter  drop.  If 
not  I  will  punish  them  severely.  Now  are  you 
ready  to  tell,  boys?  I  may  say  that  I  have 
a  clue  to  at  least  one  boy  who  had  a  hand  in 
the  trick." 

Mr.  Tetlow  paused.  There  was  silence  in 
the  room,  and  the  boys  looked  one  at  the 
other.     Who  was  guilty? 


ON  THE    FRONT   STEPS   OF   THE  SCHOOL  WAS  A  GREAT  SNOWBALL. 
Th4  Bobbsey  Tivins  at  Sno-w  Lodse.  Pci^e  35. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  ACCUSATION 

For  what  seemed  a  long  time  Mr.  Tetlow 
stood  looking  over  the  room  full  of  pupils. 
One  could  have  heard  a  pin  drop,  so  quiet  was 
it.  The  hard  breathing  of  the  boys  and  girls 
could  be  heard.  From  over  in  a  corner  where 
Danny;  Rugg  sat,  came  a  sound  of  whisper- 
ing. 

"  Quiet !  "  commanded  the  principal  sharply. 
"  There  must  be  no  talking.  I  will  wait  one 
minute  more  for  the  guilty  ones  to  acknowl- 
edge that  they  rolled  the  big  snowball  on  the 
steps.  Then,  if  they  do  not  speak,  I  shall 
have  something  else  to  say." 

The  minute  ticked  slowly  off  on  the  big 
clock.  No  one  spoke.  Bert  glanced  from 
side  to  side  as  he  sat  in  his  seat,  wondering 
what  would  come  next.  Many  others  had  the 
same  thought. 

37 


38    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  I  see  no  one  wishes  to  take  advantage  of 
my  offer,"  said  Mr.  Tetlow  slowly.  "  Very 
well.  You  may  all  go  to  your  class-rooms, 
with  the  exception  of  Bert  Bobbsey.  I  wish 
to  see  him  in  my  office  at  once.  Do  you  hear^ 
Bert?" 

There  was  a  gasp  of  astonishment,  and  all 
eyes  were  turned  on  Bert.  He  grew  red  in 
the  face,  and  then  pale.  He  could  see  Nan 
looking  at  him  curiously,  as  did  other  girls. 
Bert  was  glad  Flossie  and  Freddie  were  not 
in  the  room,  for  the  kindergarten  children  did 
not  assemble  for  morning  exercises  with  the 
larger  boys  and  girls.  Flossie  and  Freddie 
might  have  been  frightened  at  the  solemn 
talk. 

For  a  moment  Bert  could  hardly  believe 
w^hat  he  had  heard.  He  was  wanted  in  Mr. 
Tetlow's  office!  It  did  not  seem  possible. 
And  there  was  but  one  explanation  of  it.  It 
must  be  in  connection  with  the  big  snowball. 
And  Bert  knew  he  had  had  no  hand  in  putting 
it  on  the  school  steps. 

There  was  a  buzz  of  talk,  many  whisper- 
ings, and  some  one  spoke  aloud.     It  sounded 


i 


THE   ACCUSATION  39 

like  Danny  Rugg,  but  poor  Bert  was  so  con- 
fused at  his  own  plight  that  he  could  not  be 
sure. 

"  Silence !  "  commanded  Mr.  Tetlow,  as  the 
boys  and  girls  marched  to  their  various  rooms. 
"  Bert,  you  will  wait  for  me  in  my  office,"  he 
added.  Poor  Bert  looked  all  around.  He 
met  many  glances  that  were  kind,  and  others, 
from  Danny  Rugg's  friends,  that  w^re  not. 
Nan  waved  her  hand  at  her  brother  as  she 
passed  him,  and  Bert  smiled  at  her.  He  made 
up  his  mind  to  be  brave,  i 

Bert  went  to  the  principal's  office,  and  sat 
in  a  chair.  There  was  another  boy  there,  who 
looked  at  Bert  in  a  questioning  manner. 

"Are  you  here  to  get  some  writing  paper, 
Bert?"  asked  the  other  boy.  "Miss  Ken- 
nedy sent  me  for  some." 

"No,"  answered  Bert.  "I  only  wish  I 
was.  I  guess  Mr.  Tetlow  thinks  I  had  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  big  snowball." 

"Did  you?" 

"  I  did  not !  "  exclaimed  Bert  quickly. 

The  principal  entered  a  little  later,  gave  to 
the  other  boy  the  package  of  wTiting  paper 


40  THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

Miss  Kennedy  had  sent  for,  and  then  sat  down 
beside  Bert. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  have  to  do  this,  Bert,"  he 
said,  "  but  this  is  a  serious  matter  and  I  must 
treat  it  seriously.  Now  again,  I  ask  if  you 
have  anything  to  say  to  me?  Perhaps  you 
were  too  worried  to  stand  up  before  the  whole 
school." 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  Bert,  "  I  don't  know 
that  I  have  an}' thing  to  say,  if  you  mean  about 
the  big  snowball." 

"  Then  you  deny  that  you  had  anything  to 
do  with  it?" 

"  Yes,  sir.  I  never  helped  roll  it  on  the 
steps." 

"  Do  you  know  who  did  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.     I  haven't  the  least  idea." 

"And  you  were  not  anywhere  near  it?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Ahem !  Let  me  ask  you,  have  you  a 
knife,  Bert?" 

Without  thinking  Bert's  hand  went  to  his 
pocket,  and  then,  as  he  recalled  something,  his 
face  turned  red,  and  he  said : 

"  I  have  one,  but  I  haven't  got  it  now." 


THE  ACCUSATION  41 

"Is  this  it?"  asked  Mr.  Tetlow,  suddenly 
holding  out  one. 

Bert  did  not  need  to  give  more  than  a  single 
glance  at  it  to  know  that  it  was  his  knife.  It 
had  his  name  on  the  handle  and  had  beer, 
given  him  by  his  father  at  Christmas. 

"  Yes,  that's  mine,"  he  said  slowly. 

"  So  I  thought.  And  do  you  know  where 
it  was  found,  Bert  ?  " 

"  No,  Mr.  Tetlow,  I  haven't  any  idea." 

"  Suppose  I  told  you  the  janitor  picked  it 
up  on  the  steps  almost  under  the  big  snow- 
ball? If  I  tell  you  that  what  have  you  to 
say?" 

"  Well,  Mr.  Tetlow,  I'll  have  to  say  that  I 
don't  know  anything  about  it.  I  didn't  drop 
my  knife  there,  I'm  sure." 

"  Then  some  one  else  must  have  done  it. 
Be  careful  now,  Bert.  I  don't  want  to  be 
hasty,  but  it  looks  to  me  very  much  as  though 
you  were  one  of  the  boys  who  had  played 
this  trick — a  trick  that  has  made  considerable 
trouble.  I  am  sure  there  must  have  been 
others  concerned  with  you,  and  I  am  almosi; 
positive  that  you  had  a  hand  in  it. 


42    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT   SNOW  LODGE 

"  Now  I  am  not  going  to  ask  you  to  tell 
tales  against  your  companions.  I  don't  be- 
lieve in  that  sort  of  thing.  But  I  am  very 
sorry  that  you  did  not  admit  at  first  that  you 
had  a  share  in  rolling  the  big  ball.  Very 
sorry,  Bert." 

"But,  Mr.  Tetlow,  I  didn't  do  it!"  cried 
poor  Bert,  the  tears  coming  into  his  eyes. 
"  I  don't  know  how  my  knife  got  there,  but  I 
do  know  I  didn't  help  roll  that  ball.  Please 
believe  me;  won't  you?" 

For  a  moment  the  principal  was  silent. 
Then  he  said  slowly: 

"  Bert,  I  would  very  much  like  to  believe 
you,  for  I  have  always  found  you  a  good, 
manly  and  upright  boy.  But  the  evidence  is 
strong  against  you  I  am  sorry  to  say.  And 
this  trick  was  one  I  can  not  easily  overlook. 
Rolling  the  snowball  on  the  steps  was  bad 
enough,  but  when  w^ater  was  poured  over  it, 
to  freeze,  and  become  ice,  making  it  so  much 
harder  to  clean  off,  it  made  matters  so  much 
worse. 

"  Besides  miaking  a  lot  of  work  for  the  jan- 
itor, there  was  danger  that  some  of  the  teach- 


THE  ACCUSATION  43 

ers  might  slip  on  the  icy  path  and  be  injured. 
If  your  knife  had  only  been  found  lying  on 
top  of  the  ice  I  might  think  you  had  come  up 
merely  to  look  at  the  big  ball,  and  had  dropped 
your  property  there.  But  the  knife  was 
found  frozen  fast,  showing  that  it  must  have 
been  dropped  during  the  time  the  w^ater  was 
poured  on  the  steps.  So  you  see  whoever  left 
it  there  must  have  been  on  hand  w^hen  the 
trick  was  played." 

"  That  may  be  true,  Mr.  Tetlow !  '*  cried 
Bert,  "  but  I  did  not  leave  my  knife  there.  I 
remember  now — I  can  explain  it!  I  couldn't 
think,  at  first,  but  I  see  it  now." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mr.  Tetlow  quietly,  "  TH 
hear  what  you  have  to  say,  Bert." 


CHAPTER  V 

HOLIDAYS   AT    HAND 

Bert  Bobbsey  was  thinking  rapidly. 
Something  that  he  had  nearly  forgotten  came 
suddenly  to  his  mind,  and  he  hoped  it  would 
clear  him  of  the  accusation. 

And  what  he  had  seen,  that  brought  back 
to  his  mind  something  that  he  had  nearly  for- 
gotten, was  the  sight  of  an  elderly  gentleman 
driving  past  the  school  in  a  sled.  It  was 
aged  Mr.  Carford,  whose  runaway  team  Bert 
had  helped  stop  that  day  on  the  hill. 

"Will  you  let  me  call  in  Mr.  Carford?" 
asked  Bert  of  the  principal. 

"Call  in  Mr.  Carford?"  repeated  Mr.  Tet- 
low  in  some  surprise.     "What  for?" 

"  Because,  sir,"  said  Bert  eagerly,  "  he  saw 
me  lend  my  knife  to  Jimmie  Belton  last  night, 
and  he  can  tell  you  that  I  went  on  home,  leav- 
ing my  knife  with  Jimmie." 
44 


HOLIDAYS   AT  HAND 


4S 


"  Ha !  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  Jimmie 
dropped  it  in  the  ice  on  the  school  steps?  " 

"  No,  Mr.  Tetlow,  I  don't  mean  to  say  that. 
But  I  can  prove  by  Mr.  Carford  that  I  went 
home  last  night  without  my  knife.  Please 
call  him  in." 

Bert  thought  of  the  strange  old  man,  who 
had  made  such  an  odd  remark  concerning  the 
Bobbsey  family.  And  Bert  was  determined 
to  find  out  what  it  meant,  but,  as  yet,  he  had 
had  no  chance,  as  his  father  was  still  away  on 
a  business  trip. 

"  Very  well,  we  shall  see  what  Mr.  Car- 
ford  has  to  say,"  spoke  the  principal.  "  And 
I  will  have  Jimmie  Belton  in  also." 

Mr.  Tetlow  pressed  a  bell  button  that  called 
the  janitor,  and  the  latter,  who  was  still  chop- 
ping away  at  the  frozen  steps,  came  to  see 
what  w^as  wanted. 

"Just  call  to  that  old  gentleman  going  past 
in  the  bob  sled  to  come  in  here,"  said  Mr. 
Tetlow.     "  He  is  Mr.  Carford." 

"  Tell  him  Bert  Bobbsey  wants  to  see  him," 
added  the  boy,  amazed  at  his  own  boldness. 

"  Yes,  you  may  do  that,"  said  Mr.  Tetlow^. 


^6  THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

as  the  janitor  looked  toward  him.  Somehow 
the  principal  was  beginning  to  doubt  Bert's 
guilt  now. 

From  the  office  window  Bert  watched  the 
janitor  hail  the  aged  man,  w^ho  paused  for  a 
minute,  and  then,  tying  his  team,  came  on 
toward  the  school.  Bert's  heart  was  lighter 
now.  He  was  sure  the  old  gentleman  would 
bear  out  what  he  had  said,  and  Bert  felt  he 
would  be  glad  to  do  him  a  good  turn  in  part 
payment  for  what  Bert  and  his  chums  had 
done  in  catching  the   runaways. 

"  Mr,  Carford,"  began  Mr.  Tetlow,  who 
knew  the  aged  man  slightly,  *'  there  has  been 
trouble  here,  and  Bert  Bobbsey  thinks  per- 
haps you  can  help  clear  it  up.  So  I  have 
asked  you  to  step  in  for  a  moment."  Then 
he  told  about  the  big  snowball,  and  men- 
tioned how  he  had  come  to  suspect  Bert. 

"  But  Bert  tells  me,"  went  on  Mr.  Tetlow, 
"  that  you  saw  him  lending  his  knife  to  Jim- 
mie  Belton  last  night.  May  I  ask  you,  is 
that  so?" 

"Why,  yes,  it  is,"  said  the  aged  man 
slowly.     "  I'll    tell    you    how    it    was."     He 


HOLIDAYS   AT  HAND  47 

nodded  at  Bert  in  a  friendly  way,  and  there 
was  a  twinkle  in  his  deep-set  eyes. 

"  It  was  just  toward  dusk  last  evening," 
went  on  Mr.  Carford,  "  and  I  was  on  my  way 
home  to  Newton.  I'd  been  in  town  buying 
some  supplies,  and  near  the  cross  roads  I  met 
Bert  and  another  boy." 

"  That  was  Jimmie,"  said  Bert  eagerly. 

"Well,  I  heard  you  call  him  Jimmie — • 
that's  all  I  know,"  said  Mr.  Carford. 
"  Bert  was  cutting  a  branch  from  a  tree,  and 
when  I  came  up  to  them  I  offered  them  a 
ride  as  far  as  I  was  going.  They  got  in,  and 
Bert  here  was  whittling  away  with  his  knife 
as  he  sat  beside  me.  Yes,  that's  the  knife," 
said  Mr.  Carford,  as  the  principal  showed 
it  to  him." 

"  I  was  making  a  ramrod  for  a  toy  spring 
gun  I  have,"  explained  Bert.  "  It  shoots 
long  sticks,  like  arrows,  and  I  had  lost  one 
of  my  best  ones,  so  on  the  way  home  I  cut 
another.  Then  just  before  Mr.  Carford  gave 
us  the  ride,  Jimmie  came  along  and  asked  me 
to  lend  him  my  knife.  I  said  I  would  as 
soon  as  I  had  finished  making  my  arrow.     I 


48    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

did  finish  it  in  the  sled  and  I  gave  him  my 
knife  just  before  we  got  out.'' 

Mr.  Tetlow  looked  inquiringly  at  Mr. 
Carford,  who  nodded  in  answer. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  aged  man,  "  that  was  the 
way  of  it.  Bert  did  lend  that  other  boy — 
Jimmie  he  called  him — his  knife.  I  saw  the 
two  boys  separate  and  Jimmie  carried  off 
Bert's  knife.  But  that's  all  I  do  know. 
The  snowball  business  I  have  nothing  to  do 
with." 

"  No,  I  suppose  not,"  said  the  principal 
slowly.  "  I  am  sorry  now  that  I  said  what 
I  did,  Bert.  But  there  still  remains  the  ques- 
tion of  how  your  knife  got  on  the  steps.  Do 
you  think  Jimmie  had  a  hand  in  putting  the 
snowball  there?" 

*'  I  don't  know,  Mr.  Tetlow.  I  wouldn't 
like  to  say." 

"  No,  of  course  not.  I'll  have  Jimmie 
here."  The  principal  called  a  messenger  and 
sent  him  for  Jimmie,  who  came  to  the  of- 
fice wondering  what  it  was  all  about. 

Without  telling  him  what  was  wanted  Mr. 
Tetlow  asked  Jimmie  this  question  quickly: 


HOLIDAYS    AT   HAND  49 

"  What  did  you  do  with  Bert's  knife  after 
Ee  lent  it  to  you  last  night?  " 

For  a  moment  Jimmie  was  confused.  A 
strange  look  came  over  his  face.  He 
clapped  his  hand  to  his  pocket  and  exclaimed : 

"  I— I  lent  it  to  Danny  Rugg." 

"Danny  Rugg!"  cried  Bert. 

"No,  I  didnt  exactly  lend  it  to  Danny," 
explained  Jimmie,  "  for  I  knew,  Bert,  that 
you  and  he  weren't  very  friendly.  But  after 
you  let  me  take  it  last  night,  to  start  making 
that  sailboat  I  was  telling  you  about,  I  for- 
got all  about  promising  you  that  I'd  bring  it 
back  after  supper.  Then  Danny  came  over, 
and  he  helped  me  with  the  boat.  When  he 
saw  I  had  your  knife,  and  when  he  heard  me 
say  I  must  take  it  back,  he  offered  to  leave  it 
for  you  when  he  came  past  your  house  the 
next  time." 

"  And  did  you  give  it  to  him  ?  "  asked  tKe 
principal. 

"Yes,  I  did,"  answered  Jimmie.  "I 
thought  he  would  do  as  he  said.  He  took 
the  knife  when  he  went  home  from  my 
house." 


50    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS   AT   SNOW  LODGE 

"  But  he  never  gave  it  to  me ! "  said  Bert 
quickly. 

"  I  am  beginning  to  believe  He  did  not," 
said  the  principal.  "  I  think  we  will  have 
Danny  in  here." 

The  bully  came  in  rather  defiant,  and  stared 
boldly  around  at  those  in  the  office.  Mr. 
Tetlow  resolved  on  a  surprising  plan. 

"  Danny,"  he  said  suddenly,  "  why  did  you 
put  Bert's  knife  on  the  step,  and  let  it  freeze 
there  to  make  it  look  as  though  Bert  had 
helped  place  the  snowball  in  front  of  the 
door?     Why  did  you?" 

"  I— I— — "  stammered  Danny,  "  I 
didn't " 

"Be  careful  now,"  warned  the  principal. 
"  We  have  heard  the  whole  story.  Jimmie 
has  told  how  you  promised  to  leave  the  knife 
with  Bert,  but  you  did  not." 

Danny  swallowed  a  lump  in  his  throat.  He 
was  much  confused,  and  finally  he  broke  down 
•and  admitted  that  he  had  been  present  and  had 
helped  roll  the  snowball  on  the  steps. 

"  But  I  wasn't  the  only  one !  "  he  exclaimed 
"  There  was " 


HOLIDAYS    AT   HAND  51 

"  Tut !  Tut !  "  exclaimed  the  principal.  "  I 
want  no  tale-bearing.  I  think  those  who  did 
the  trick  will  confess  now,  after  I  tell  them 
what  has  happened.  Danny,  it  w^as  very 
wrong  of  you  to  play  such  a  joke,  but  it  was 
much  worse  to  try  to  throw  the  blame  on  Bert 
by  leaving  his  knife  there." 

"  I — I  didn't  do  it  on  purpose,"  said  Danny. 
*'  The  knife  must  have  slipped  out  of  my 
pocket."  But  no  one  believed  that,  for  Danny 
was  known  to  have  a  grudge  against  Bert,  and 
that  was  reason  enough  for  trying  to  throw 
the  blame  on  our  little  hero. 

But  Bert  was  soon  cleared,  for,  a  little  later, 
when  Mr.  Tetlow  called  the  school  together, 
saying  that  he  had  been  mistaken  in  regard 
to  Bert,  and  relating  what  had  come  out  about 
the  knife,  several  of  the  boys  who,  with  Danny 
had  placed  the  big  ball  on  the  steps,  admitted 
their  part  in  it. 

They  W'ere  all  punished,  but  Danny  most  of 
all,  for  his  mean  act  in  trying  to  make  it  look 
as  though  Bert  had  done  it. 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Carford,  as  he  took  his 
leave,  having  helped  to  prove  Bert's  innocence. 


52    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  this  time  I  have  had  a  chance  to  do  a  Bobb- 
sey  a  favor,  in  return  for  one  you  did  me, 
Bert." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  Bert,  not  knowing 
what  else  to  say.  He  was  puzzling  over  what 
strange  connection  there  might  be  between  his 
family  and  Mr.  Carford. 

"  Come  up  and  see  me  sometime,"  said  the 
aged  man.  "  And  bring  your  brother  and  sis- 
ters, Bert.  I'll  be  glad  to  see  them  at  my 
place.  I'm  going  to  stay  home  all  this  winter. 
I'm  getting  too  old  to  go  to  Snow  Lodge  any 
more." 

Bert  wondered  what  Snow  Lodge  was,  but 
he  did  not  like  to  ask. 

Thus  was  cleared  up  the  mystery  of  the  big 
snowball,  and  Bert's  many  friends  were  as 
glad  as  he  was  himself  that  he  had  been  found 
innocent. 

There  came  more  snow  storms,  followed  by 
freezing  weather  after  a  thaw,  and  the  boys 
and  girls  had  much  fun  on  the  ice,  a  number 
of  skating  races  having  been  arranged  among 
the  school  pupils. 

The  end  of  the  mid-winter  term  was  ap- 


HOLIDAYS    AT   HAND  53 

preaching,  and  the  Christmas  holidays  would 
soon  be  at  hand.  Then  would  come  a  three 
week's  vacation,  and  the  Bobbsey  twins  were 
talking  about  how  they  could  spend  it. 

"It's  too  cold  to  go  to  the  seashore,"  said 
Nan  with  a  shiver,  as  she  looked  out  of  the 
window  over  the  snowy  yard. 

"And  the  country  would  be  about  the 
same,"  added  Bert. 

"  Oh,  it's  lovely  in  the  country  during  the 
winter,  I  think,"  said  Nan. 

"  We  could  get  up  a  circus  in  the  barn,  with 
Snoop  and  Snap,"  said  Flossie,  who  was  busy 
over  a  picture  book. 

"  Then  I'm  going  to  be  the  ring-master  and 
crack  a  big  whip  and  wear  big  boots ! "  cried 
Freddie. 

"I  do  hope  papa  will  be  home  for  Christ- 
mas," sighed  Nan,  for  Air.  Bobbsey's  business 
trip,  in  relation  to  lumber  matters,  had  kept 
him  away  from  home  longer  than  expected. 

"  I  have  good  news  for  you,  children,"  said 
*Mrs.  Bobbsey,  coming  into  the  room  just  then 
with  a  letter.  "Your  father  is  coming  home 
to-morrow." 


54    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 


"  Oh,  how  nice !  "  cried  Nan. 

"  I  hope  he  brings  us  something,"  said  Fred- 
die. 

"  I'll  have  a  chance  to  ask  him  about  Mr. 
Carford,"  thought  Bert.  "  I  wonder  what  that 
old  man  meant  by  his  strange  words  ?  " 


CHi^PTER:  VI 

A  VISIT  TO  MR.   CARFORD 

**  Freddie,  what  in  the  world  are  you  do- 
ing?" 

"Flossie!  Oh  dear!  You  children!  You 
have  the  place  all  upset !  " 

Mrs.  Bobbsey,  who  had  come  into  the  big 
living  room,  to  see  the  two  younger  twins 
engaged  in  some  strange  proceedings,  paused 
at  the  doorway  to  look  on.  Indeed  the  place 
was  upset,  for  the  chairs  had  been  dragged  out 
from  against  the  walls  and  from  corners  to  be 
placed  in  a  row  before  a  large  sofa.  From  one 
corner  of  this  to  a  side  wall  was  stretched  a 
sheet,  and  in  another  corner,  in  a  pen  made  of 
chairs,  could  be  seen  the  wagging  tail  of  Snap, 
ithe  trick  dog. 

"  What  in  the  world  are  you  doing?  "  asked 
Mrs.  Bobbsey.     "  Oh,  dear,  how  I  do  dread 
a  rainy  day ! "  for  it  was  pouring  outside,  and 
55 


56    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

the  older,  as  well  as  the  younger  twins  had  to 
stay  in  doors. 

"We're  playing  circus,"  explained  Freddie 
gravely,  as  he  peered  between  the  "  bars  "  of 
the  cage  made  of  chairs.  "  Snap  is  a  lion," 
went  on  the  little  fellow.     "Growl,  Snap!" 

And  Snap,  always  ready  to  have  fun, 
growled  and  barked  to  satisfy  the  most  exact- 
ing circus  lover. 

"Oh  dear!"  cried  Mrs.  Bobbsey.  "I'll 
never  get  this  room  straightened  out  again." 

"  Oh,  we'll  fix  it,  mamma,  after  the  circus," 
said  Flossie  sweetly.  "  Sit  down  and  see  the 
show.  I'll  make  Snoop  do  some  of  the  tricks 
the  fat  circus  lady  taught  her,"  and  Flossie 
lifting  up  one  corner  of  the  sheet,  showed  the 
black  cat  curled  up  on  a  cushion,  while  back 
of  her,  tied  by  one  leg,  was  Downy  the  pet 
duck. 

"  This  was  going  to  be  the  happy  family 
cage,"  explained  Flossie,  "  only  when  we  had 
Snap  in  here  he  kept  playing  with  Downy, 
and  Downy  quacked  and  that  made  Snoop 
nervous  so  we  couldn't  do  it  very  well." 

"  So  we  made  Snap  the  lion,  and  part  of  the 


A  VISIT  TO   MR.   CARFORD  57 

time  he*s  going  to  be  the  tiger,"  said  Freddie. 
"  Dinah  is  going  to  give  us  some  blueing  that 
she  uses  on  the  clothes,  and  I'm  going  to  paint 
stripes  on  Snap." 

"  Don't  you  dare  do  it,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey. 
"The  idea  of  painting  blue  stripes  on  poor 
Snap!  Whoever  heard  of  a  blue-striped 
tiger?"  and  she  tried  hard  not  to  laugh. 

"  Well,  this  is  a  new  kind,"  said  Freddie. 
*^  Sit  down,  mamma,  and  we'll  make  Snoop  do 
a  trick  for  you.  Make  her  chase  her  tail, 
Flossie." 

"  No,  I'll  make  her  w^alk  a  tight  rope,"  said 
the  little  girl.     "That's  more  of  a  trick." 

Flossie  got  her  jumping  rope,  which  she  had 
little  use  for  now,  and  tied  it  from  the  back 
of  one  chair  to  the  back  of  another,  placed 
some  distance  away.  Then  she  pulled  the  rope 
tight  between  them,  and,  taking  Snoop  up  in 
her  arms,  placed  the  cat  carefully  on  the 
stretched  rope. 

Snoop  stood  still  for  a  minute,  meowing  a 
little  and  waving  her  tail  back  and  forth.  Poor 
Snoop !  The  black  cat  did  not  like  to  do  tricks 
as  well  as  did  Snap.     No  cats  do.     But  Snap, 


58    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

when  he  saw  what  was  going  on,  was  eager  to 
show  off  what  he  could  do. 

He  leaped  about  in  his  chair  "  cage,"  barking 
loudly,  much  to  the  delight  of  Freddie  iWho 
liked  to  hear  the  "  lion  "  roar. 

"  Go  on,  Snoop !  "  called  the  twins,  and  gave 
the  cat  a  gentle  shove.  Then  Snoop  did  really 
walk  across  the  rope,  for  it  was  almost  as  easy 
as  walking  the  back  fence,  which  Snoop  had 
often  done.  Only  the  rope  was  not  as  steady 
as  the  fence.  But  the  fat  circus  lady  had 
trained  the  black  cat  well,  and  Snoop  per- 
formed the  trick  to  the  delight  of  the  children. 

"  That  is  very  good,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey. 
*'  Oh,  see !  Snap  is  turning  a  somersault  in  his 
cage.  Poor  dog,  let  him  out,  Freddie;  won't 
you?" 

"  He  isn't  a  dog — ^he's  a  lion,"  insisted  the 
little  boy.  "  I  dassen't  let  out  a  lion,  or  he 
might  bite  you." 

But  Snap  had  no  idea  of  playing  the  lion 
iall  the  while.  Suddenly  Downy,  the  duck, 
with  a  loud  quack,  got  her  leg  loose  from  the 
string  and  flew  out  across  the  room.  This  so 
surprised  Snoop,  who  had  started  back  over 


A  VISIT   TO  MR,  CARFORD  59 

the  tight  rope,  that  he  fell  off  with  a  cry  of 
alarm. 

This  was  too  much  for  Snap,  who  evidently 
did  not  think  he  was  having  his  share  of  the 
fun.  With  a  loud  bark  and  a  rush  he  burst 
from  his  cage  of  chairs,  intent  on  playing  with 
Snoop,  for  he  and  the  cat  were  great  friends. 

Just  at  that  moment  fat  Dinah,  the  colored 
cook,  came  into  the  room  to  ask  Mrs.  Bobl> 
sty  something.  Snoop,  seeing  the  open  door, 
and  being  tired  of  doing  tricks  for  the  children, 
made  a  dash  to  get  out,  darting  under  Dinah's 
skirts. 

Snap,  thinking  this  was  part  of  the  game, 
rushed  after  his  friend  the  cat,  but  when  he 
tried  to  dive  underneath  Dinah's  dress  there 
was  an  accident. 

He  knocked  the  feet  from  under  the  fat 
cook,  and  she  sat  down  on  the  floor  with  a 
force  that  jarred  the  whole  house,  just  missing 
sitting  on  Snap. 

"  Fo'  de  lub  ob  goodness  what  am  de  mat- 
tah?"  cried  Dinah.  "Am  it  an  earf quake, 
Mrs.  Bobbsey?" 

"I  don't  know,  Dinah!"   exclaimed  Mrs. 


6o    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT   SNOW  LODGE 

Bobbsey,  wanting  to  laugh,  and  yet  not  wishing 
to  hurt  Dinah's  feehngs.  "  The  children  said 
it  was  a  circus,  I  believe.  Here,  Snap ! "  she 
called,  as  the  dog  rushed  on  after  Snoop. 

Just  then  Downy,  the  duck,  sailed  back 
across  the  room,  and  lighted  squarely  on 
Dinah's  black  and  kinky  head,  where  the  fowl 
perched  "  honking  "  loudly. 

''Good  land  ob  massy !  "  murmured  Dinah 
over  and  over  again.     "  Mo'  trouble !  " 

Flossie  and  Freddie  were  so  surprised  at  the 
sudden  ending  of  their  circus  that  they  did  not 
know  what  to  do.  Then  they  both  raced  to 
capture  the  duck. 

"  One  of  the  dining-room  windows  is 
open!"  called  Freddie.  "If  Downy  flies  out 
he'll  freeze.     Grab  him,  Dinah !  " 

"  Chile !  "  cried  the  colored  cook  slowly,  "  I 
ain't  got  bref  enough  lef  to  ketch  eben  a  mos- 
quito. But  yo'-all  don't  need  to  worry  none 
about  dish  yeah  duck  gittin  loose.  His  feet 
am  all  tangled  up  in  mah  wool,  an'  I  guess 
youT  hab  t'  help  git  'em  loose,  chilluns  I  " 

It  was  indeed  so.  Downy's  webbed  feet 
were  fast  in  Dinah's  kinky  hair,  and  it  took 


A  VISIT  TO  MR.  CARFORD  6z 

some  time  to  disentangle  them.  Then  the  cook 
could  get  up,  which  she  did  with  many  a  sigh 
and  groan. 

"  Are  you  hurt,  Dinah?  "  asked  Flossie.  "  li 
you  are  you  can  come  to  our  circus  for  noth- 
ing; can't  she,  Freddie?  " 

"  Yes,''  he  answered,  ''  only  we  haven't  got 
a  circus  now.     It's  all  gone  except  Downy." 

"  Well,  I  think  you  have  flayed  enough 
circus  for  to-day,''  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey. 
*•'  Straighten  up  the  room  now,  and  have  some 
other  kind  of  fun." 

The  dog  and  cat,  satisfied  to  get  out  of  their 
cages,  had  gone  to  the  kitchen,  where  they 
could  generally  find  something  good  to  eat.. 
Then  Flossie  and  Freddie  were-  kept  busy  put- 
ting back  the  chairs,  and  setting  the  room  in 
order. 

It  was  a  day  or  so  after  the  return  of  Mr, 
Bobbsey  from  his  business  trip,  and  though: 
Bert  had  asked  his  father  about  Mr.  Carford, 
the  lumber  dealer  had  not  yet  had  time  to  give- 
any  explanation. 

"  It  is  quite  a  little  story,"  he  said.  "  I'll 
tell  you  about  it  some  time,  Bert.     But  now 


<52    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT   SNOW  LODGE 

I  have  a  lot  of  back  work  to  catch  up  with,  on 
account  of  being  away  so  long,  and  I'll  have  to 
go  to  the  office  early,  and  I'll  be  late  getting 
home." 

So  the  little  incident  had  not  yet  been  ex- 
plained. The  Christmas  holidays  were  draw- 
ing nearer,  and  there  were  busy  times  in  the 
Bobbsey  household.  Flossie  and  Freddie  were 
•expecting  a  visit  from  Santa  Claus,  and  they 
-wrote  many  letters  to  the  dear  old  saint,  tell- 
ing what  they  wished  to  receive. 

'*  But  have  you  thought  of  what  you  are  go- 
ing to  givef  asked  Mrs.  Bobbsev  one  day,  a 
short  time  before  Christmas.  "  It  is  more 
fun  to  give  things  than  it  is  to  get  them,  you 
know." 

"  Is  it?  "  asked  Flossie,  who  had  never  heard 
of  it  in  that  way  before. 

"Indeed  it  is,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey.  "You 
just  try  it.  If  you  have  any  toys  you  don't 
care  for  any  more,  or  even  some  that  you  do, 
and  v.ish  to  give  away,  or  books  or  other  play- 
things, and  if  you  will  gather  them  up,  I'll  see 
that  they  arc  given  to  some  poor  children  who 
may  not  have  a  very  good  Christmas." 


A  VISIT    TO   MR.   CARFORD  S^ 

The  smaller  twins  thought  this  would  be 
very  nice,  and  they  w^ere  soon  busy  over  their 
possessions.  Bert  and  Nan  heard  what  was 
going  on,  and  they  insisted  on  giving  their 
share  also,  so  that  q-  'te  a  box  full  of  really 
good  toys  were  collected. 

A  day  or  so  later,  when  the  v/eather  had 
cleared,  Bert  came  in  from  coasting,  and  said : 

"  Mother,  couldn't  Nan  and  I  take  a  ride 
over  to  ]\Ir.  Carford's  house?  He  is  out  in 
front  in  his  sled,  and  he  says  he'll  bring  us 
back  before  dark.     May  we  go?  " 

"Why,  I  guess  so,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey, 
slowly.  **  I  don't  bel'eve  your  father  would 
object.    But  wrap  up  well,  for  it  is  chilly." 

"xAnd  can't  we  go,  too?"  begged  Flossie. 

"  Yes,  we  want  to,"  added  Freddie.  **'  Please, 
Mamma ! " 

"Well,  I  guess  so,"  agreed  Mrs.  Bobbsey. 
"Will  you  look  after  them,  Bert  and  Nan?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  promised  the  two  older  twins, 
while  Bert  explained  that  he  had  met  Mr.  Car- 
ford,  whu  was  on  his  way  home  from  the  store, 
and  had  been  given  a  ride.  The  invitation  had 
followed. 


54    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  I'll  take  good  care  of  them,  Mrs.  Bobb- 
.sey/'  said  the  elderly  gentleman,  as  Mrs.  Bobb- 
sey  went  out  to  tuck  in  Flossie  and  Freddie. 
^*  I've  got  to  run  into  Newton  and  back  again 
this  afternoon,  so  I  thought  they'd  like  the 
Tide." 

"  Indeed  it  is  very  kind  of  you,'*  said  the 
children's  mother.  **  I  hope  they  will  be  no 
trouble." 

"Of  course  they  won't.  Remember  me  to 
Mr.  Bobbsey  when  he  comes  home.  Ask  him 
to  come  and  see  me  Vv^hen  he  has  time.  I  want 
to  talk  to  him  about  a  certain  matter." 

"All  right,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey,  and  Bert 
wondered  if  it  had  to  co  with  the  secret. 

The  drive  out  to  Newton,  wdiich  was  a  few 
miles  from  Lakeport,  was  much  enjoyed  by 
the  Bobbsey  twins.  The  speedy  horses  pulled 
the  sled  over  the  white  snow,  the  jingle  of  the 
strings  of  bells  around  them  mingling  with 
other  musical  chimes  on  sleds  that  they  met,  or 
passed. 

They  saw  Danny  Rugg  out  driving  with  his 
mother  in  a  stylish  cutter,  and  Danny  rather 
** turned  up  his  nose"  at  the  old  bob  sled  in 


A  VISIT   TO   MR.   CARFORD  65 

which  the  Bobbseys  were  riding.  But  Bert. 
and  his  sisters  and  brother  did  not  mind  that. 
They  were  having  a  good  time. 

"Here  we  are!"  called  Mr.  Carford  after 
a  fine  ride.  "  Come  in  and  get  warm.  I  guess 
my  sister  has  a  few  cookies  left,"  for  a  maiden 
sister  kept  house  for  the  old  gentleman. 

Into  the  big  old-fashioned  farmhouse  the 
children  tramped,  to  be  met  by  a  motherly- 
looking  woman,  who  helped  them  brush  the 
snow  from  their  feet.  Then  she  bustled  about, 
and  brought  in  a  big  pitcher  of  milk,  a  plateful 
of  molasses  cookies,  and  some  glr.sses.  The 
children's  eyes  sparklea  at  the  sight  of  this  line 
lunch. 

"  There  you  are !  "  cried  Mr.  Carford  heart- 
ily, as  he  passed  around  the  good  things.  "  EaS 
as  much  as  is  good  for  you.  I've  got  to  go 
out  to  the  barn  for  a  while.  Emma,"  he 
asked  his  sister,  "  have  you  got  any  more  pack- 
ages made  up  ?  " 

"James  Carford,  are  you  going  to  give 
away  more  stuff?"  demanded  his  sister, 
"  Why,  you'll  be  in  the  poorhouse,  first  thing 
you  know." 


66    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  Oh,  I  guess  not,"  he  said  with  a  laugh. 
"  We  can  afford  it,  and  tnere's  many  who  can't. 
It's  going  to  be  a  hard  winter  on  the  poor. 
Put  up  a  few  more  packages,  and  I'll  tie  up 
some  bags  of  potatoes !  " 

"  I  never  saw  such  a  man — never  in  all  my 
born  days !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Carford,  shaking 
her  head.  ''  He'd  give  away  the  roof  over  us 
if  I  didn't  watch  him." 

"  What  is  he  doing?  "  asked  Bert. 

"  Oh,  the  same  as  he  does  every  Christmas," 
said  the  sister-housekeeper.  ''  He  makes  up 
packages,  bundles,  baskets  and  bags  of  things 
to  eat,  and  gives  them  to  all  the  poor  families 
he  can  hear  of.  He  was  poor  once  himself, 
you  know,  and  he  never  can  forget  it." 

''  He  is  very  kind,"  said  Nan,  in  a  low  voice. 

"Yes,  he  is  that,"  agreed  Miss  Carford, 
**and  I  suppose  I  oughtn't  to  find  fault.  But 
he  does  give  away  an  awful  lot." 

She  w^ent  out  to  look  after  matters  in  the 
kitchen,  leaving  the  children  to  eat  iheir  lunch 
of  milk  and  cookies  alone  for  a  few  minutes. 
Presently  Mr.  Carford  came  back,  stamping 
the  snow  from  his  boots. 


A  VISIT  TO  MR.   CARFORD  67 

"Ha!"  he  cried,  as  he  went  close  to  the 
stove  to  warm  his  hands.  "  This  reminds  me 
of  the  winters  I  used  to  spend  at  Snow  Lodge 
on  Lake  Metoka.  Were  you  ever  up  there?  " 
and  he  looked  at  Bert. 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Ha !  I  thought  not.  It's  a  fine  place.  But 
I  don't  go  there  any  more — ^never  any  more," 
and  he  shook  his  head  sadly. 

"Did  it  burn  down^"  asked  Freddie,  who 
was  always  interested  in  fires  and  firem.en. 
"Couldn't  they  put  it  out?" 

"  No,  Freddie,  it  didn't  burn  down,"  said 
Mr.  Carford.  "  Sometimes  I  almost  wish  it 
had — before  my  trouble  happened,"  he  added 
slowly.  "  Yes,  I  almost  wish  it  had.  But 
Snow  Lodge  still  stands,  though  I  haven't  been 
near  it  for  some  years.  I  couldn't  go.  No, 
I  couldn't  go,"  and  he  shook  his  head  sadly. 
"  I  just  couldn't  go." 

The  Bobbsey  children  did  not  know  what  to 
think.  Mr.  Carford  seemed  very  sad.  Sud- 
denly he  turned  away  from  the  fire  that  blazed 
on  the  hearth,  and  asked  : 

"  Did  I  ever  tell  you  about  Snow  Lodge?  " 


68    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  No/'  said  Bert  softly. 

"  Then  I  will,"  went  on  the  aged  man.  "  I 
don't  tell  many,  but  I  will  you.  And  maybe 
you  could  mak^  some  use  of  the  place  now 
that  the  holidays  are  here.  I  used  to  spend 
all  my  Christmas  holidays  there,  but  I  don't 
any  more.  Never  any  more.  But  I'll  tell  you 
about  it,"  and  he  settled  himself  more  com- 
fortably in  th"  big  chair. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  STORY  OF  SNOW  LODGE 

"  When  I  was  a  boy,"  began  Mr.  Carford 
after  a  pause,  during  which  he  looked  into  the 
blazing  fire,  "  I  lived  on  a  farm,  and  I  had  to 
work  very  hard." 

"  We  were  on  a  farm  once,  weren't  we,  Flos- 
sie ? ''  interrupted  Freddie. 

"  Hush,  dear,"  said  Nan  in  a  low  voice. 
"Listen  to  Mr.  Carford's  story." 

"  That  isn't  a  story,"  insisted  Flossie.  "  He 
didn't  begin  it  right.  He  must  say:  *  Once 
upon  a  time,  a  good  many  years  ago !' 

Mr.  Carford  laughed. 

"  So  I  should,  my  dear ! "  he  exclaimed. 
"  It's  been  so  long  since  I've  told  a  story  to  lit- 
tle folks  that  I've  forgotten  how,  I  guess. 

"  So  I'll  begin  over  again.  Once  upon  a 
dme,  a  good  many  years  ago,  I  was  a  little  boy, 
and  I  lived  on  a  farm.  I  guess  it  must  have 
69 


70  THE  EOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

been  the  same  sort  of  a  farm  you  and  Flossie 
went  to,  Freddie,  for  we  had  cows  and  horses 
and  pigs  and  chickens  and  sheep.  There  was 
lots  of  work,  and,  as  my  father  was  not  rich, 
I  had  to  help  as  soon  as  I  got  old  enough. 

"  But,  for  all  that,  I  had  good  times.  I 
thought  so  then  and,  though  Fm  an  old  man 
now,  I  still  think  so.  But  the  good  times  did 
not  last  long  enough.  I  wish  I  could  go  back 
to  them. 

'*  But  I  stayed  on  the  farm  a  good  many 
years,  with  my  brothers  and  sisters,  and  finally 
w^hen  I  grew  up,  and  thought  I  was  big  enough 
to  start  to  W'Ork  for  m.yself,  I  ran  away.'* 

"Did  you  -did  you  get  lost?"  asked  Flos- 
sie, wnth  her  eyes  wide  open,  staring  at  Mr. 
Car  ford. 

''  No,  my  dear,  I  didn't  exactly  get  lost. 
But  I  thought  there  was  easier  work  than  liv- 
ing on  a  farm,  so,  instead  of  staying  and  help- 
ing my  father,  as  I  think  now  I  should  have 
done,  I  ran  away  to  a  big  city.  I  wanted  to  be 
dressed  up,  and  wear  a  w^hite  collar  instead  of 
overalls  and  a  jumper. 

"  But  I  found  that  life  in  the  city,  instead 


THE   STORY   OF   SNOW  LODGE  71 

of  being  easier  than  on  the  farm,  was  harder, 
especially  as  I  didn't  know  much  about  it. 
Many  a  time  I  wished  I  was  back  with  my 
father,  but  I  was  too  proud  to  admit  that  I 
had  made  a  mistake.  So  I  kept  on  working  in 
the  city,  and  finally  I  began  to  forget  all  about 
the  farm. 

"  I  won't  make  this  story  too  long,  for  you 
might  get  tired  of  it,"  said  Mr.  Carford,  as 
he  got  up  to  put  a  log  on  the  fire. 

"  Oh,  we  like  stories ;  don't  we,  Freddie  ?  " 
said  Flossie. 

"  Yes,"  said  Freddie  softly. 

"  I  know,  my  dear,"  said  the  old  man  kindly, 
"but  I  am  afraid  you  wouldn't  like  my  kind. 
Anyhow  I  kept  on  working  in  the  city — in  one 
city  after  another — until  I  became  successful 
and  then,  in  time,  I  got  rich." 

"  Rich !  "  cried  Freddie.  "  Ver/  rich  ?  "  and 
his  big  eyes  opened  wide. 

"  Freddie ! "  cautioned  Nan,  with  a  sharp 
look. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  mind!"  laughed  Mr.  Carford. 
"  Yes,  I  got  quite  rich,  and  then  I  thought  it 
was  time  to  go  back  to  the  old  farm,  and  see 


';j2    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT   SNOW  LODGE 

my  father.  My  mother  had  died  before  I  went 
away.  Maybe  if  she  had  lived  I  wouldn't  have 
gone.  And  then  I  began  to  find  out  that  life 
wasn't  all  happiness  just  because  you  had 
money. 

"  My  father  had  died  too,  and  the  old  farm 
had  been  sold.  Ad^y  brothers  and  sisters  had 
gone — some  were  married  and  some  had  died. 
I  found  I  was  a  lonesome  old  man,  with  few 
friends,  and  hardly  any  relatives,  left.  I  had 
been  too  busy  getting  rich,  you  see,  to  take  tim.e 
to  make  friends. 

''  Well,  I  didn't  know  what  to  do.  All  the 
while,  you  understand,  I  had  been  counting  on 
going  back  to  the  farm,  with  a  lot  of  mioney, 
and  saying  to  my  father :  '  Nov\^,  daddy,  you've 
worked  hard  enough.  You  can  stop  now,  and 
have  happiness  the  rest  of  your  life.'  But  you 
see  my  father  wasn't  there.     I  w^as  too  late. 

*'  So  I  m.ade  up  my  m.ind  the  best  thing  I 
could  do  was  to  buy  back  the  old  farm,  and 
spend  the  rest  of  m.y  days  there,  for  the  sake 
of  old  times.  Well,  I  did  buy  the  place,  and  I 
named  it  *  Snow  Lodge,'  for  there  used  to  be 


THE   STORY   OF   SNOW   LODGE  73 

lots  of  snow  there  in  the  winter  time.  I  fixed 
the  old  house  all  over  new,  put  in  a  furnace, 
and  other  things  to  make  it  comfortable,  and  I 
lived  there  for  some  time. 

"  I  heard  from  some  of  my  brothers  and  sis- 
ters who  had  also  gone  away  from  the  farm, 
and  one  of  my  sisters,  who  had  married  a  man 
named  Burdock,  had  become  very  poor.  Her 
husband  had  died,  and  she  was  very  sick.  I 
brought  her  to  Snow  Lodge  to  live  with  me, 
and  her  son,  Harry,  a  line  lad,  came  along. 

"  My  poor  sister  did  not  live  very  long,  and 
when  she  died  I  took  Henry  Burdock  to  live 
wdth  me.  I  felt  toward  him  as  toward  a  son, 
and  for  years  we  stayed  in  Snow  Lodge  to- 
gether. 

''  Then  I  bought  this  place,  and  we  used  to 
spend  part  of  the  year  here  and  part  of  it  at 
Snow  Lodge.  It  Vvas  a  fine  place  winter  or 
summer.  Snow  Lodge  was." 

Mr.  Carford  became  silent  and  looked  again 
into  the  glowing  logs  on  the  hearth. 

"  Don't  3^ou  go  to  Snow  Lodge  any  more?  " 
asked  Nan  in  a  low  voice. 


74    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  No,"  replied  the  old  man.  "  Never  any 
more.  Not — not  since  Henry  went  away," 
and  he  seemed  to  be  in  pain.  "  I  have  never 
gone  there  since  Henry  went  awa}^"  he  added,  • 
'*  though  the  place  is  well  kept  up,  and  it  is 
ready  to  live  in  this  minute." 

"  Did  your  nephew  Henry  run  away,  as  vou 
did?"  asked  Bert. 

"  No — not  exactly,"  was  the  reply.  "  I 
don't  like  to  talk  about  that  part  of  it.  I  like 
to  think  of  Snow  Lodge  on  the  shore  of  the 
lake  as  a  place  where  I  lived  when  I  was  a  boy. 

"  Oh,  it's  just  fine  there !  "  went  on  Mr.  Car- 
ford.  "  In  summer  the  grass  is  so  green,  and 
you  car  sit  on  the  porcli  and  look  down  at  the 
lake.  In  the  winter,  when  the  lake  is  frozen 
over,  there  is  skating  and  ice  boating  on  it,  and 
you  can  fish  through  the  ice.  And  such  hills 
as  there  are  to  coast  down!  and  such  valleys 
filled  with  snow!  Sometimes  it  seems  as  if 
the  whole  house  would  be  covered  with  the 
white  flakes. 

"  But  you  can  always  keep  warm  ir  Snow 
Lodge,  for  there  are  big  fireplaces,  as  well 
as  the  furnacC;  and  there  is  plenty  of  wood. 


THE  STORY  OF  SNOW  LODGE     75 

Many  times  I've  had  a  notion  to  go  back  there, 
but  somehow  I  couldn't,  since — since  Henry- 
went  away.  So  I  came  here  to  live  with  my 
other  sister,  and  here  I  guess  I'll  stay  the  rest 
of  my  life.  Snow  Lodge  is  shut  up,  and  I 
guess  it  always  will  be." 

]\Ir.  Carford  sighed,  and  kept  looking  at  the 
fire.  Nan  thought  what  a  pity  it  was  that 
Snow  Lodge  could  not  be  used,  while  Bert 
wondered  what  had  happened  between  Henry 
Burdock  and  his  uncle,  Mr.  Carford,  that 
caused  Henry  to  go  away.  Also  Bert  won- 
dered if  Mr.  Carford  would  explain  his  strange 
remark,  made  at  the  time  the  runaway  liorses 
were  caught.  But  the  aged  man  seemed  to 
have  forgotten  it.  * 

"Yes,  Snow  Lodge  is  closed  up,"  said  Mr. 
Carford.  "  I  don't  suppose  it  will  ever  be 
used  again.  But  I've  told  you  the  story  of  it, 
and  I'm  afraid  I've  tired  you." 

"  No  you  haven't,"  said  Nan.  "  We  en- 
joyed it  very  much." 

"  That's  right !  "  exclaimed  Bert. 

"  Did — did  you  ever  see  any  bears  there  ?  " 
asked  Freddie,  "  any  real  big  bears?  " 


76    THF  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"Or  tigers — or — or  elephants?"  asked 
Flossie,  not  to  let  her  brother  get  ahead  of  her 
in  asking  questions. 

"  Huh !  Elephants  don't  grow  here — only 
bears,"  said  Freddie. 

"  No,  I  never  saw  anything  bigger  than 
foxes,"  said  Mr.  Carford  with  a  laugh. 
"  Snow  Lodge  isn't  very  far  from  here,  you 
know,  so  you  have  the  same  kind  of  animals 
there  that  you  have  here.  Only  there  are  more 
woods  at  Snow  Lodge. 

"  But  I  must  be  getting  back  with  you 
youngsters.  It  is  getting  late  and  your  folks 
may  worry  about  you.  I'll  bring  the  sled 
around,  and  my  sister  Emma  can  tuck  you  in. 
Then  I'll  get  you  home,  and  see  to  my  Christ- 
mas packages.  It's  going  to  be  a  hard  winter 
on  the  poor." 

"  We  give  the  poor  people  something,"  said 
Freddie.  "At  school  we  all  brought  some- 
thing just  before  vacation,  and  Mr.  Tetlow  is 
going  to  give  it  to  all  the  poor  people.'* 

"That  was  at  Thanksgiving,  dear,"  said 
Nan. 

"Well,   maybe   they've   got   some  left   for 


THE  STORY  OF  SNOW  LODGE 


77 


Christmas,"  said  Freddie,  as  the  others 
laughed. 

"  That's  right — try  and  make  other  people, 
happy,  little  man,"  said  Mr.  Carford,  patting 
Freddie's  head. 

The  big  sled  with  the  horses  and  their  jing- 
ling bells  was  soon  at  the  door.  Miss  Car- 
ford  had  warmed  some  bricks  to  put  down  in 
the  straw,  to  keep  the  children's  feet  warm, 
and  soon,  cozily  wrapped  up,  they  were  on  their 
way  home. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


A  KIND  OFFER 


"  Nan  !  "  called  Freddie  from  under  a  big 
fur  robe,  as  he  sat  in  the  warm  straw  of  Mr. 
Carford's  sled  next  to  his  sister. 

''  Yes,  what  is  it?  "  asked  Nan,  bending  over 
him  to  look  at  his  face  in  the  gathering  dusk 
of  the  winter  afternoon.  "  Are  you  warm 
enough,  Freddie?  " 

"  Yes,  I'm  as  warm  as  the  toast  Dinah  makes 
for  breakfast.  But  say,  I  want  to  ask  you — 
do  you  think  we'll  meet  Santa  Claus  before  we 
get  home  ?  " 

"  No,  Freddie.  The  idea !  What  makes 
you  think  that?" 

"  Well,  it's  near  Christmas,  and  we're  out  in 
a  sled,  and  he  goes  out  in  a  sled,  only  with 
reindeers  of  course,  and " 

Freddie's  voice  trailed  off  sleepily.  In  fact 
he  had  aroused  himself  from  almost  a  nap  to 
78 


A   KIND   OFFER 


79 


ask  Nan  the  question.  Flossie,  warmly 
wrapped  up,  was  already  slumbering  in  Bert's 
arms. 

"  No,  I  don't  believe  we'll  meet  Santa  Claus 
this  trip,"  5-?id  Nan.  *'  He  is  only  supposed  to 
travel  at  night,  you  know,  Freddie." 

"  That's  so.  Well,  if  we  do  meet  him,  and 
I'm  asleep,  you  wake  me  up:  will  you?  " 

"Yes,  Freddie,"  promised  his  sister,  and  she 
looked  across  at  Bert  and  smiled.  The  two 
younger  twins  were  soon  both  soundly  slum- 
bering, for  being  out  in  the  cold  air  and  wind 
does  seem  to  make  one  sleepy  when,  later  on, 
one  gets  warm  and  comfortable. 

Mr.  Car  lord  sat  up  on  the  seat  in  front  driv- 
ing the  sturdy  horses,  while  the  string  of  bells 
around  them  jingled  at  every  step. 

"  Wasn't  that  a  queer  story  of  Snow 
Lodge?"  asked  Nan  of  Bert,  in  a  low  voice. 

"  It  surely  was,"  he  replied.  "  It  seems  too 
bad  to  have  the  place  all  shut  up,  with  no  one 
to  use  it  this  winter.  It  w^ould  be  just  great, 
I  think,  if  \ve  could  go  up  there  for  the  Christ- 
mas holidays.  We  could  go  up  right  after 
Christmas,  and  not  come  back  until  the  middle 


8o    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

of  January,  for  school  doesn't  open  again  until 
then.     .Wouldn't  it  be  great !  " 

"  Fine !  "  agreed  Nan.  "  But  I  don't  s'pose 
we  could.  Mr.  Carford  doesn't  want  Snow 
Lodge  used,  I  guess.  But  he  gave  us  a  good 
time  at  his  house." 

"  Indeed  he  did,"  agreed  Bert. 

On  glided  the  sled,  the  bells  making  merry 
music.  A  light  snowfall  began,  and  Mr.  Car- 
ford  urged  the  horses  to  faster  speed,  for  he 
wanted  to  get  back  home  before  the  storm 
broke. 

"Wake  up,  Freddie!" 

"Wake  up,  Flossie!" 

Nan  and  Bert  gently  shook  their  little 
brother  and  sister  to  arouse  them.  The  sled 
had  stopped  in  front  of  the  Bobbsey  home. 

"Is  it — is  it  morning?"  asked  Flossie,  as 
she  rubbed  her  eyes. 

"Did  Santa  Claus  come?"  demanded  Fred- 
die, trying  to  wiggle  out  of  Bert's  arms. 

"Not  yet,"  laughed  Mr.  Carford.  "But 
I  think  he  soon  will  be  here.  Can  you  manage 
them,  Nan — Bert?  "  he  asked. 

"  Oh,   yes,   we  often   carry  them,"   replied 


A   KIND   OFFER  8l 

Nan.  "I'hey'll  soon  be  wide  awake  again, 
and  they  w^on't  want  to  go  to  sleep  until  late 
to-night,  on  account  of  the  nap  they've  had." 

Mrs.  Bobbsey  was  at  the  door  waiting  for 
the  children  Flossie  and  Freddie  soon  roused 
up  enough  to  walk  in. 

"  Won't  you  come  in  ? "  asked  Mrs.  Bobb- 
sey of  Mr.  Car  ford.  "  I  can  give  you  a  cup 
of  tea.  Mr.  Bobbsey  just  came  home.  Per- 
haps you'd  like  to  say  'how-d'ye-do.'  " 

"  Thanks,  I'll  come  in  for  just  a  minute,'* 
was  the  ansvs^er.  "  Then  I  must  be  getting 
back  before  the  storm  breaks.  And  1*11  tie  my 
horses,  too.  I  can't  risk  another  runaway," 
Mr.  Carford  said  with  a  smile  at  Bert. 

Mr.  Bobbsey  greeted  the  caller  cordially, 
and  the  children  were  soon  telling  their  parents 
of  the  nice  visit  they  hr.d  had. 

"  And  Miss  Carford  can  make  almost  as 
good  cookies  as  Dinah!  "  cried  Freddie. 

"  Ha !  Ha !  "  laughed  Mr.  Carford.  "  I'll 
have  to  tell  my  sister  that.  She'll  be  real 
proud." 

Bert,  looking  from  his  father  to  Mr.  Car- 
ford, wondered  what  could  have  once  taken 


S2    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

place  between  the  two  men.  That  there  was 
some  sort  of  secret  he  felt  sure,  and  up  to  now 
there  had  been  no  explanation  of  the  strange 
words  used  by  the  aged  man  at  the  time  Bert 
and  the  others  caught  the  runaways. 

^'  I  haven't  seen  you  in  some  time,  Mr, 
Bobbsey,"  said  Mr.  Carford,  after  they  had 
talked  about  the  weather. 

"  No,  I've  been  very  busy,  and  I  suppose  you 
have  also.  Have  you  been  at  Snow  Lodge 
lately?" 

^'  No,  and  I  don't  expect  to  set  foot  in  the 
place  again.  I  guess  you  know  why.  And  I 
v/ant  to  say  now,  thai:  though  I  was  rather 
cross  with  you  Vvhen  you  tried  to  get  me  to 
change  my  mund  about  that  matter,  some  time 
ago,  I  want  to  say  that  I'm  sorry  for  it.  I 
realize  that  you  did  it  for  the  best." 

"Yes,'^  said  Mr.  Bobbsey,  ^'' I  did,  but  I 
know  how  you  felt  about  it.  I  believed  then, 
and  I  believe  now,  that  you  made  a  mistake 
about  your  nephew  Henry." 

"No,  I  don't  think  I  did,"  was  the  slow 
reply.  "  I  am  afraid  Henry  is  a  bad  young 
man.     I  don't  want  to  see  him  again,  nor  Snow 


A  KIND   OFFER  83 

Lodge  either.  But  Tm  glad  you  tried  to  help 
me.  However,  I  have  come  about  a  different 
matter  now.  How  would  you  and  your  family 
like  to  spend  the  winter  there?  How  would 
a  vacation  at  Snow^  Lodge  suit  you?  " 

No  one  spoke  for  a  few  seconds.  All  were 
surprised  at  the  kind  offer  made  by  Mr.  Car- 
ford. 

"  A  vacation  at  Snow  Lodge ! "  said  Mr. 
Bobbsey  slowly. 

"Do  you  mean  it,  Mr.  Carford?"  asked 
Mrs.  Bobbsey. 

"  I  certainly  do,"  was  the  answer.  "  I  have 
told  your  youngsters  something  about  Snow 
Lodge,  and  they  seemed  to  like  the  place.  I 
heard  them  talking  among  themselves,  on  the 
iway  back  here,  how  they'd  like  to  go  there. 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right — no  harm  done !  "  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Carford,  as  he  looked  at  the  blush- 
ing faces  of  Nan  and  Bert.  "  I'm  glad  I  did 
overhear  what  you  were  saying.  It  is  a  shame 
to  keep  that  place  locked  up,  and  I'm  just  be- 
ginning to  realize  it. 

"  I  don't  want  to  go  there  myself,  but  that's 
no    reason    why    others    shouldn't.     So,    Mr. 


84    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

Bobbsey,  if  you  like,  you  can  take  your  whole 
family  up  there  to  Snow  Lodge,  near  the  lake, 
and  in  the  woods,  and  stay  as  long  as  you  like. 
Here  are  the  keys!"  and  Mr.  Carford  tossed 
a  jingHng  bunch  on  the  table. 


CHAPTER  IX 


MR.   BOBBSEYS  STORY 


"  Snow  Lodge  ! "  Oh,  Papa,  could  we  go 
there?  "  cried  Flossie,  now  wide  awake. 

"  What  fun  we  could  have ! "  exclaimed 
Freddie,  whose  eyes  were  now  as  wide  open  as 
ever  they  had  been. 

Bert  and  Nan  said  little,  but  there  was  a  look 
of  pleased  anticipation  on  their  faces.  They, 
too,  realized  what  fun  they  could  have  in  a  big, 
old-fashioned  farmhouse  in  winter,  particularly 
when  the  building  was  refitted  ^^-ith  a  furnace, 
and  had  big  fireplaces  in  it. 

And  Bert  was  wondering,  more  than  ever, 
what  strange  reason  Air.  Carford  could  have 
for  not  wanting  to  go  back  to  lovely  Snow 
Lodge. 

"  Say  we  can  go,  Daddy ! "  pleaded  the  two 
smaller  twins,  as  they  tried  to  get  into  their 
father's  lap. 

85 


86    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Bobbsey  slowly,  "  this  is 
certainly  very  kind  of  you,  Mr.  Carford,  but 
I  am- not  sure  I  can  accept  it.  I  am  very  much 
obliged  to  you,  however " 

''Accept!  Of  course  you  can  accept!"  ex- 
claimed the  aged  man.  "  There's  no  reason 
why  you  and  your  family  shouldn't  have  a  holi- 
day vacation  at  Snow  Lodge.  The  place  has 
been  closed  up  a  long  time,  but  a  day  or  so, 
with  a  good  fire  in  it,  would  make  it  as  warm 
as  toast.  I  know,  for  I've  been  there  on  thq 
coldest  winter  days.  Now  you  just  plan  to  go 
np  there  with  the  wife  and  children,  and  have  a 
good  time.  It  might  as  well  be  used  as  to 
stand  idle  and  vacant,  as  it  is." 

*'  What  do  you  say,  Mother  ? "  and  Mr. 
Bobbsey  looked  at  his  wife.  "  Shall  we  go  to 
Snow  Lodge  ?  " 

"The  children  would  like  it,"  said  Mrs. 
Bobbsey  slowly. 

*'  Like  it !     I  should  say  we  would !  "  cried  4 
Nan.     "  I  can  take  some  pictures  of  the  birds  i 
with  my  new  camera — the  one  I  am  going  to 
get  for  Christmas,"  she  added  with  a  smile. 

"  Oh  ho !     So  you  are  going  to  have  a  cam- 


MR.   BOBBSEY'S    STORY  8^ 

era  for  Christmas;  are  you?"  laughed  her 
^father. 

"  I — I  hope  so,"  she  replied. 

"And  I  can  build  a  snowhouse  and  live 
in  it  like  the  Esquimos,"  added  Bert. 

"Then  Tm  going  to  live  with  you!"  cried 
Freddie.  "  Please  go  to  Snow  Lodge,  Mam- 
ma!" 

"  Yes,  cake  the  youngsters  up,"  urged  Mr. 
Carford.  "At  least  don't  decide  against  it 
now.  I'll  leave  the  keys  with  you,  and  you  can 
go  any  time  you  like.  I  don't  suppose  it  will 
be  until  after  Christmas,  though,  for  Santa 
Claus  might  not  be  able  to  get  up  there,"  and 
he  pinched  Freddie's  fat  cheek. 

"  No,  don't  go  until  after  Santa  Claus  has 
been  here,"  urged  Flossie  seriously,  and  her 
mother  laughed. 

"  Well,  I  must  be  going,  anyhow,"  said  Mr. 
Carford,  after  a  pause.  "  It  will  be  dark  be- 
fore I  get  back,  and  the  storm  seems  to  be 
coming  up  quickly.  Emma  will  worry,  I'm 
afraid.  Now  you  just  think  it  over  about 
Snow  Lodge,"  he  concluded,  "  and  I  guess  you 
.will  go,  Mr.  Bobbsey.    You  know  my  reasons 


SS    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

for  not  wanting  to  set  foot  in  the  place,  so  I 
don't  need  to  tell  you. 

"  Xow,  goc'd-bye.  Go  to  Snow  Lodge,  and 
have  a  good  time,  and  when  you  come  back, 
children,  tell  me  all  about  it.  If  I  can't  go 
there  at  least  I  like  tc,  :iear  about  the  place." 

'Sir.  Car  ford  went  dut  to  his  team,  through 
the  now  Jiiving  snow.  He  little  realized  what 
a  joyful  story  the  Bobbsey  twins  were  to  bring 
back  to  him  from  Snow  Lodge,  nor  how  it  was 
to  change  his  leeliiig  :i:  regard  to  his  boyhood 
hom.e. 

*''  Papa,"  said  Bert  soberly,  after  the  visitor 
had  gone,  leaving  the  key^  of  Snow  Lodge  be- 
hind him,  "  what  is  the  secret  about  Mr.  Car- 
ford  and  that  winter  place?  And  you're 
mixed  up  in  it,  I'm  sure." 

"  WTiat  makes  you  sure,  Bert?  " 

*'  ^XzA,  I've  been  thinking  so  ever  since  that 
day  I  helped  to  catch  his  runaway  horses,  and 
he  said  this  was  the  second  time  a  Bobbsey  had 
tried  to  do  him  a  favor.' 

*'  Had  your  favor  anything  to  do  with  Snow 
Lodge.  Papa?  "  asked  Xan,  as  she  put  her  arms 
about  his  neck. 


MR.   BOBBSEY'S   STORY  89 

"  Well,  yes,  daughter,  in  a  way.  And,  since 
,  Mr.  Carford  has  told  you  part  of  the  story,  I 
.  may  as  well  tell  you  the  other  half,  I  suppose." 

"Oh,  another  story!''  cried  Flossie,  in  de- 
light. 

"Yes,  we  must  be  quiet  and  listen,"  said 
Freddie,  as  he  drew  up  a  stool  close  to  his 
father. 

"  It  isn't  a  very  nice  sort  of  stor}^"  w^ent  on 
Mr.  Bobbsey.  "  In  fact  it  is  rather  sad.  But 
I'll  tell  it  to  you,  anyhow.  Did  Mr.  Carford 
tell  you  about  when  he  was  a  boy  ?  " 

*''  Yes,  and  how  he  went  away,  and  came 
back  rich,  and  found  all  his  folks  gone  and  the 
•farm  sold,"  said  Nan. 

"  Yes.  Well,  I  guess  he  told  you  then,  how 
he  took  his  nephew,  Henry  Burdock,  to  live 
w^ith  him.'  He  loved  Henry  almost  as  if  he 
were  his  own  son,  and  did  everything  for  him. 
In  fact  he  planned  to  leave  him  all  his  money. 
Then  cam.e  a  quarrel." 

"What  about?"  asked  Bert  softly. 

"Over  some  money.  Henry  was  a  young 
man  who  liked  to  spend  considerable,  and, 
though  he  was  not  bad  he  was  different  from 


90    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

the  country  boys.  Mr.  Carford  gave  him 
plenty  of  spending  money,  however,  and  did 
not  ask  him  what  became  of  it. 

"  Then,  one  day,  a  large  sum  of  money  was 
missing  from  Snow  Lodge.  Mr.  Carford  ac- 
cused Henry  of  taking  it,  and  Henry  said  he 
had  seen  nothing  of  it.  Then  came  a  quarrel, 
and  Mr.  Carford,  in  a  fit  of  temper,  drove 
Henry  away  from  Snow  Lodge.  There  were 
bitter  words  on  both  sides,  and  after  that  M^ 
Carford  closed  up  the  place,  and  has  not  been 
near  it  since.  That  is  the  part  of  the  story 
Mr.   Carford  did  not  tell  you." 

'*  But  where  do  you  come  in,  Daddy?'* 
asked  Nan.  "  Did  you  find  the  missing 
money?  " 

"  No,  Nan,  though  I  wish  I  had.  But  I  was 
sure  Henry  had  not  taken  it,  and  I  tried  to 
make  Mr.  Carford  believe  so.  That  is  what 
he  meant  by  me  trying  to  do  him  a  favor. 
But  he  would  not  have  it  so,  and,  for  a  time, 
he  had  some  feeling  against  me.  But  it  passed  j 
away,  for  he  realized  that  I  was  trying  to  help 
him. 

"  But    since    then    Mr.    Carford    and    his 


MR.   BOBBSEY'S    STORY 


91 


nephew,  Henry  Burdock,  have  not  spoken.  As 
I  said,  ]\Ir.  Carford  drove  the  young  man  away 
from  Snow  Lodge.  It  was  in  a  raging  storm 
and  Henry  might  have  frozen,  only  I  found 
him  and  took  him  to  a  hotel.  I  helped  look 
after  him  until  he  could  get  a  start.  It  was  a 
very  sad  affair,  and  it  has  spoiled  ^Ir.  Car  ford's 
life,  for  he  loved  Henry  very  much." 

"And  did  Henry  really  take  the  money?" 
asked  Freddie.     "  That  was  wicked,  I  think." 

"  You  must  not  say  so,  Freddie,"  spoke  Mr. 
Bobbsey.  "  V\'e  do  not  know  that  Henry  did 
take  it.  No  one  knows.  It  is  a  mystery.  I, 
myself  feel  sure  that  Henry  did  --ot,  but  I  can 
not  prove  that  he  did  not  take  it.  His  uncle 
believes  that  he  did.  At  any  rate  the  money 
disappeared." 

"  And  where  was  it  when  Mr.  Carford  last 
saw  it?"  asked  Nan. 

"  Mr.  Carford  left  it  on  the  mantlepiece  in 
the  big  living  room  of  Snow  Lodge,"  said  Mr. 
Bobbsey.  "  Henry  was  the  only  other  person, 
beside  himself,  who  was  in  the  room.,  and  in 
some  way  the  money  was  taken.  I  even  went 
so  far  as  to  have  a  man  from  the  police  station 


92  THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

look  all  over  the  house,  hoping  he  could  find 
the  roll  of  bills  somewhere,  but  it  did  not  come 
to  light.  And  so,  ever  since,  there  has  been  a 
bad  feeling  between  Henry  and  his  uncle/' 

"What  does  Henry  Burdock  do  now?" 
asked  Bert. 

"  He  roams  about  the  woods,  as  a  sort  of 
guide  and  hunter.  Sometimes,  I  am  told,  he 
comes  close  to  Snow  Lodge  and  looks  down  on 
it  from  a  distant  hill,  thinking  of  the  happy 
days  he  spent  there." 

"  Maybe  we'll  see  him  when  we  go  up,"  said 
Freddie.  "  H  I  do  I'll  give  him  all  the  money 
in  my  bank  so  he  can  be  friends  v/ith  his  uncle 
again." 

"  No,  Freddie,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey  solemnly.. 
''  You  must  not  speak  of  w^hat  you  have  just 
heard.  It  is  a  sad  story,  and  is  best  forgot- 
ten. Both  Mr.  Carford  and  Henry  feel  badly 
enough  about  it,  so  It  will  be  best  not  to  men- 
tion it.  Just  forget  all  about  it  if  we  go  to 
Snow  Lodge." 

"  But  we  are  going ;  aren't  w^e,  Papa  ?  "  asked 
Bert.  "  The  trip  to  the  woods  would  do  us  all 
good." 


FLOSSIE   AND   FREDDIE  WERE   SURPRISED 
The  Bobbsey  Twins  at  Snow  Lodse, 


AND    DELIGHTED. 

—Page  96. 


MR.   BOBBSEY'S    STORY 


93 


"  Well,  I  think  we  might  take  advantage  of 
Mr.  Carford's  kind  offer,"  said  Mr.  Bobbsey. 
Yes,  we'll  plan  to  go  to  Snow  Lodge ! " 

"  Hurrah !  "  cried  Nan  and  Bert,  grasping 
each  other  by  the  hands  and  swinging  around 
in  a  sort  of  waltz. 

"  Can  we  tak-e  our  sleds,"  asked  Flossie. 

"I'm  going  to  take  my  skates — maybe  I'll 
sk?te  all  the  way  there — I  could — on  the 
lake!"  exclaimed  Freddie,  and  he  wondered 
why  the  others  laughed. 

"  Well,  we'll  make  our  plans  later,"  said 
Mrs.  Bobbsey.  "  Now,  children,  we'll  have  an 
early  supper  and  then  you  must  all  get  to  bed. 
Christmas  will  come  so  much  earlier  if  you  go 
to  sleep  now." 

"  Oh,  jolly  Christmas! "  cried  Nan.  *•  I  can 
hardly  wait !  " 


CHAPTER  X 
unwelcome  news 

"  Merry  Christmas  !  " 

"  Merry  Christmas  to  everybody !  ^ 

"Oh,  Christmas  is  here!  I  wonder  what  I 
got?'' 

"  I'm  going  to  get  up  and  see !  '* 

The  Bobbsey  twins  were  calling  to  on'C  an- 
other from  their  rooms,  and  papa  and  mamma 
Bobbsey  were  replying  to  their  children's  happy 
greetings.  It  was  Flossie  who  had  made  the 
-exclamation  about  wondering  what  Santa  Claus 
had  brought  her,  and  it  was  Freddie  ^ho  de- 
clared he  was  going  to  get  up  to  see. 

Soon  the  patter  of  bare  feet  announced  that 
'the  two  younger  twins  were  scampering  down- 
stairs. 

"  You  must  put  on  your  dressing  gowns  and 
slippers,    my   dears ! "    called    Mrs.    Bobbse.y. 

94 


UNWELCOME    NEWS  95 

'*  You'll  take  cold.     Nan,  look  after  them;  will 
you?" 

"  Yes,  mother,  in  just  a  minute.  As  soon  as  / 
I  can  find  my  own  things,"  and  Nan  got  out  of 
bed.  She  and  Bert  wer^e  not  in  so  much  of  a 
hurry  as  Flossie  and  Freddie  for  they  were  get- 
ting older,  and  though  Christmas  was  still  a 
source  of  great  joy  to  them  they  were  not  so 
anxious  to  see  w^hat  gifts  they  had.  Still  Nan 
was  eager  to  know  if  her  camera  had  come. 

From  the  parlor  below  came  cries  shouts  and 
peals  of  delighted  and  surprised  laughter  as 
Flossie  and  Freddie  discovered  their  different 
gifts. 

"  Look  at  my  book ! "  cried  Flossie.  "  And 
a  doll — a  doll  that  you  can  wind  up,  and  she 
walks  and  says  '  mamma.'  Look,  Freddie !  " 
and  the  little  girl  started  the  doll  off  across  the 
room. 

"  Pooh !  Look  at  what  I  got !  "  cried  Fred- 
die. "  It's  a  fire  engine,  and  it  squirts  real 
water.  I'm  going  to  put  some  in  it,  and  pla>- 
fire." 

He  started  for  the  kitchen  with  his  toy,  but 
Nan  caught  him. 


96    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  Not  just  yet,  little  fat  fireman,"  she  said 
with  a  laugh,  as  she  took  him  up  in  her  arms, 
"  You  can't  splash  in  the  cold  water  until  you 
have  more  clothes  on.  Get  dressed  and  then 
you  may  play  with  your  toys." 

"All  right!"  answered  Freddie.  "Oh, 
look,  I've  got  a  wind-up  steamboat,  too.  Oh! 
let  me  down  so  I  can  look  at  it,  Nan!  Now 
please  do! " 

Nan  saw  a  pile  of  her  own  gifts,  so  she  set 
Freddie  down  for  a  moment,  intending  to  carry 
him  up  stairs  a  little  later.  She  had  wrapped 
a  robe  about  Flossie,  who  was  contentedly 
playing  with  her  newest  doll,  and  looking  at  her 
other  presents.  Santa  Claus  had  been  kind  to 
the  Bobbsey  twins  that  Christmas. 

Bert,  big  boy  though  he  thought  himself 
getting  to  be,  could  no  longer  resist  the  temp- 
tation to  come  down  in  his  bath  robe  to  see 
what  he  had  received,  and  a  little  later  fat 
Dinah,  roused  earlier  than  usual  by  the  joy- 
ous shouts  of  the  children,  came  lumbering 
in. 

"  Oh,  Dinali!  Dinah!  Look  what  you  got !  " 
cried  Flossie.     "Your  things  are  all  here  on 


UNWELCOME    NEWS  g^ 

this  chair/'  and  the  Httle  girl  led  the  fat  coolc 
over  toward  it. 

" Things  fo'  me?    What  yo'-all  talkin'  'bout 
chile?     Ole  Dinah  don't  git  no  Christmas!' 
protested  the  jolly  colored  woman,  laughing  so 
that  she  shook  all  over. 

"  Yes,  you  do  get  a  Christmas,  DinaK.  Look 
here ! "  and  Flossie  showed  where  there  were 
some  useful  presents  for  the  cook, — large  ap- 
rons, warm  shoes,  an  umbrella,  and  a  bright 
shawl  that  Dinah  had  been  wanting  for  a  long 
time. 

"  What?  All  dem  fo'  me?  ''  asked  the  sur- 
prised cook.  "  Good  land  a'  massy !  I  guess 
ole  Santa  Claus  done  gone  an'  made  a  beef- 
steak this  time,  suah !  " 

"  No,  there's  no  mistake !  See,  they've  got 
your  name  on ! "  insisted  Flossie.  "  See, 
Dinah !  "  and  she  led  the  cook  ov'er  to  the  chair 
where  the  presents  were  piled.  There  was  no 
idoubt  of  it,  they  were  for  Dinah,  and  near 
them  was  another  chair  containing  gifts  for 
her  husband,  Sam.  He  would  not  be  in  until 
later,  however.  But  Dinah  saw  a  pair  of  rub- 
ber boots  that  w^ould  be  very  useful  in  the  deep 


98    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

snow,  and  there  were  other  fine  presents  for 
Sam. 

Bert  and  Nan  were  now  looking  at  their 
things,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bobbsey  could  be 
heard  moving  around  upstairs,  having  decided 
that  it  was  useless  to  lie  abed  longer  now  that 
the  children  were  up. 

"  Come,  come,  Flossie  and  Freddie !  "  called 
Mrs.  Bobbsey.  "  You  must  get  dressed  and 
then  you  can  play  as  much  as  you  like.  I  don't 
want  you  to  get  cold.  If  you  do  you  can't  go 
to  Snow  Lodge,  remember ! " 

This  was  enough  to  cause  the  small  Bobb- 
seys  to  scamper  upstairs  Flossie  carried  her 
doll  with  her,  and  Freddie  took  along  his  fire 
engine,  for  that  was  the  gift  he  had  most- 
wanted,  and  for  which  he  had  begged  and 
pleaded  for  w^eks  before  Christmas. 

Feeling  that  a  little  liberty  might  be  allowed 
on  this  day,  Mrs.  Bobbsey  did  not  insist  on  the 
younger  children  dressing  completely  until  af- 
ter breakfast,  so  in  their  warm  robes  and  slip- 
pers Flossie  and  Freddie  were  soon  again  ex- 
amining their  toys,  discovering  new  delights 
every  few  minutes. 


UNWELCOME   NEWS  99 

Nan  was  busy  inspecting  her  camera,  whil€ 
Bert  v^as  looking  at  a  new  postage  stamp  album 
he  had  long  wanted,  when  from  the  kitchen  • 
where  Dinah  was  getting  breakfast  came  a 
series  of  excited  cries,  mingled  with  laughter 
and  shouts  of: 

*^Fire!     Fire!     Fire!'' 

"Mercy!  What's  that?"  screamed  Mrs. 
Bobbsey,  turning  pale. 

Mr.  Bobbsey  made  a  rush  for  the  kitchen. 
Nan  and  Bert,  with  Flossie,  gathered  about 
their  mother.  Then  they  heard  Dinah  call- 
ing: 

"  Stop  it,  Freddie !  Stop  it  I  done  tell  you ! 
Does  yo'-all  want  me  t'  git  soaked  ?  An'  yo'-all 
will  suah  spoil  them  pancakes !  Oh,  now  yo' 
hab  done  it!  Yo'  squirted  right  in  mah  mouf ! 
Oh  mah  goodness  sakes  alive  I  " 

Mrs.  Bobbsey  looked  relieved. 

"Freddie  must  be  up  to  some  prank,"  she 
said. 

"  Freddie,  stop  it !  "  commanded  Mr.  Bobb- 
sey, and  then  he  was  heard  to  laugh.  The 
others  all  went  out  to  the  kitchen  and  there 
they  saw  a  curious  sight. 


100    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

■Freddie,  with  his  new  toy  fire  engine,  was 
pumping  water  on  fat  Dinah,  who  was  laugh- 
ing so  heartily  that  she  could  do  nothing  to 
stop  him.  Mr.  Bobbsey,  too,  was  shouting 
with  mirth,  for  the  hose  from  the  toy  engine 
was  rather  small,  and  threw  only  a  thin,  fine 
spray. 

"  I'm  a  fireman ! ''  cried  Freddie,  "  and  I'm 
pretending  Dinah  is  on  fire.  See  her  red 
apron — that's  the  fire !  "  and  the  little  fellow 
turned  the  crank  of  his  engine  harder  than 
ever,  throwing  the  tiny  stream  of  water  all 
over  the  kitchen. 

"That's  enough,  Freddie,"  said  Mr.  Bobb- 
sey, when  he  could  stop  laughing.  Dinah  was 
still  shaking  with  mirth,  and  Freddie,  looking 
in  the  tank  of  the  engine,  said: 

"  There's  only  a  little  more  water  left.  Can't 
I  squirt  that?" 

Without  waiting  for  permission  Freddie 
made  the  water  spurt  from  the  nozzle  of  the 
)  hose.  !Alt  that  moment  the  door  of  the  kitchen 
opened,  to  let  in  Sam.  With  him  came  Snap, 
the  trick  dog,  and  the  tiny  stream  of  water 
caught  Sam  full  in  the  face. 


UNWELCOME   NEWS  loi 

"Hello!  What  am  dat?"  he  demanded  in 
surprise.     "  ^m  de  house  leakin'  ?  " 

"  It's  my  new  fire  engine !  "  cried  Freddie. 
"  I  didn't  mean  to  wet  you,  Sam,  but  I  was 
playing  Dinah  was  on  fire !  " 

"  Well,  yo'-all  didn't  wet  me  so  very  much," 
replied  Sam,  with  a  grin  that  showed  his  white 
teeth.     *'  Dat  suah  am  a  fine  fire  engine !  " 

Snap  sprang  about,  barking  and  wagging  his 
tail,  and,  there  being  no  more  water  in  Fred- 
die's engine,  he  had  to  stop  pumping,  for  which 
every  one  was  glad. 

"  You  must  not  do  that  again,"  said  Mrs. 
Bobbsey,  when  the  excitement  was  over,  and 
laughing  Dinah  had  dried  her  face,  and  put  on 
another  apron.  "You  frightened  us  all,  Fred- 
die, and  that  is  not  nice,  you  know." 

"  I  won't,  Mamma,  but  I  did  want  to  try  my 
fire  engine." 

"Then  you  must  do  it  in  the  bath  room 
iwhere  the  water  will  do  no  harm.  But  come 
now,  children,  get  your  breakfast  and  then  you 
svull  have  the  whole  day  to  look  at  your  toys." 

Breakfast  was  rather  a  hurried  affair,  and 
everj^  now  and  then  Flossie  and  Freddie  would 


I02    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

leave  the  table  to  see  some  of  their  gifts.  But 
finally  the  meal  was  over  and  then  came  more 
joyous  times.  Sam  received  his  presents,  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bobbsey  had  time  to  look  at 
theirs,  for  Santa  Claus  had  not  forgotten  them. 

"And  there's  something  for  Snap,  and  for 
Snoop,  too ! "  exclaimed  Freddie.  ''  Snoop 
has  a  new  ribbon  with  a  silver  bell,  and  Snap 
a  new  collar,  with  his  name  on,"  and  soon  the 
cat  and  dog,  newly  adorned,  wxre  being  put 
through  some  of  their  tricks. 

If  I  tried  to  tell  you  all  that  went  on  in  the 
Bobbsey  house  that  Christmas  this  book  would 
contain  nothing  else.  So  I  will  only  say  that 
the  holiday  was  one  of  the  most  delightful  the 
twins  ever  remembered. 

"And  then  to  think,  with  all  this,  that  we 
are  to  go  to  Snow  Lodge !  It's  great !  "  cried 
Bert. 

"  I  hope  I  can  get  some  good  pictures  up 
there  with  my  camera,"  said  Nan.  "  Will  you 
show  me  how  it  works,  Bert?  " 

"  Yes,  and  we'll  go  out  to-day  and  try  it.  I 
want  to  see  how  my  new  skates  go,  too.  The 
lake  is  frozen  and  we'll  have  some  fun." 


UNWELCOME   NEWS  103 

The  day  was  cold  and  clear.  There  had 
been  a  little  fall  of  snow  during  the  night,  but 
not  enough  to  spoil  the  skating,  and  soon  Bert 
and  Nan  were  on  their  way  to  the  lake,  while 
Flossie  and  Freddie,  after  inspecting  all  their 
presents  over  again,  had  gone  out  to  play  on 
their  sleds. 

This  gave  Dinah  and  Mrs.  Bobbsey  time 
to  get  ready  the  big  Christmas  dinner,  with  the 
roast  turkey,   for  Mr.   Bobbsey  had  brought, 
home  one  of  the  largest  he  could  find. 

While  Flossie  and  Freddie  were  playing  on 
the  hill,  a  small  one  near  their  home,  they  heard 
a  voice  calling  to  them : 

"  Want  a  ride,  youngsters  ?  " 

Looking  up  they  saw  Mr.  Carford  in  his  big 
sled.  It  was  filled  with  baskets  and  packages, 
and  the  Bobbsey  twins  guessed  rightly  that  the 
generous  old  man  was  taking  around  his 
Christmas  contributions  to  the  poor  families. 

"Yes,  we'll  go!  "  cried  Freddie. 

"  What  shall  we  do  with  our  sleds  ?  "  asked 
Flossie. 

"Oh,  Harry  Stone  will  look  after  them; 
won't  you  Harry?  "  asked  Freddie.     "  He  can 


I04    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW.  LODGE 

use  mine,  and  his  sister  Jessie  can  use  yours 
until  we  come  back,  Flossie,"  and  Freddie 
turned  the  coasters  over  to  a  poor  boy  and  girl 
who  lived  near  the  Bobbsey  home.  Harry  and 
his  sister  were  delighted,  and  promised  to  take 
good  care  of  the  sleds. 

"  I  won't  take  you  far — only  Just  around 
town,"  said  Mr.  Car  ford,  as  the  twins  got  in 
his  sled.  "When  are  you  going  up  to  my 
Snow  Lodge?  " 

"We're  going  soon,  I  guess,"  answered 
Flossie,  "  I  heard  mamma  and  papa  talking 
about  it  yesterday." 

"  And  we're  ever  so  much  obliged  to  you  for 
letting  us  have  your  place,"  said  Flossie. 
"  Will  you  come  up  and  see  us  while  we're, 
there?     Fve  got  a  doll  that  can  talk." 

"And  Fm  going  to  take  my  fire  engine 
along,  so  if  the  place  gets  on  fire  I  can  help 
put  it  out,"  exclaimed  Freddie.  "Will  you 
come  up?  " 

Mr,  Carford  started.  He  looked  at  the  chil- 
dren in  a  strange  sort  of  way,  and  then  stared 
at  the  horses. 

"  No — no — I  guess   I   won't   go   to   Snow 


UNWELCOME  NEWS 


I05 


Lodge  any  more,"  he  said  slowly,  and  Flossie 
and  Freddie  were  sorry  they  had  asked  him, 
for  they  remembered  the  story  their  father 
had  told  them  about  the  sorrow  that  had 
come  to  the  aged  man. 

But  the  children  soon  forgot  this  in  the  joy 
of  helping  in  the  distribution  of  the  good 
things  in  the  sled,  and  the  happiness  brought 
to  many  poor  families  seemed  to  make  up,  in 
a  way,  for  what  Mr.  Carford  had  suffered  in 
the  trouble  over  his  nephew. 

When  all  the  gifts  had  been  given  out  from 
the  sled,  Mr.  Carford  drove  the  two  younger 
Bobbsey  twins  back  to  the  hill  where  they 
again  had  fun  coasting. 

Meanwhile  Nan  and  Bert  were  having  a 
good  time  on  the  ice.  Nan's  camera  was  used 
to  take  a  number  of  pictures,  which  the  chil- 
dren hoped  would  turn  out  well. 

While  Bert  was  taking  a  picture  of  Nan, 
Charley  Mason  came  skating  up,  and  Bert, 
whose  best  chum  he  w^as,  insisted  that  Charley 
get  in  the  picture  also. 

"My! "  exclaimed  Charley,  as  he  saw  Nan's 
camera,  "  that's  a  fine  one !  " 


I06    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  I  just  got  it  to-day,"  said  Nan,  with  a 
pleased  smile.  "  I'm  going  to  take  a  lot  of 
pictures  up  at  Snow  Lodge." 

"  Snow  Lodge,"  repeated  Charley.  "  You 
mean  that  place  Mr.  Carford  owns?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Bert.  "  He  is  going  to  let 
us  all  go  up  there  for  three  weeks  or  so." 

"  Say,  that's  funny,"  spoke  Charley. 
"  You'll  have  some  other  Lakeport  folks 
near  you." 

"  Who  else  is  going  up  to  Snow  Lodge  ?  " 
asked  Nan. 

"  Well,  they're  not  exactly  going  to  Snow 
Lodge,"  replied  Charley,  "  but  I  heard  a  while 
ago  that  Danny  Rugg  and  his  folks  were  going 
up  to  a  winter  camp  near  there.  Mr.  Rugg 
has  bought  a  lumber  tract  in  the  woods,  and 
he's  going  to  see  about  having  some  of  the 
trees  cut.  Danny  is  going,  too.  So  you'll  have 
him  for  a  neighbor." 

"Oh,  dear!"  exclaimed  Nan,  in  dismay. 
*'  That  spoils  everything !  " 

"  Well,  if  Danny  tries  any  of  his  tricks  I'll^ 
get  after  him!"  exclaimed  Bert,  firmly.  But 
he  looked  anxious  over  the  unwelcome  news 
Charley  had  brought. 


CHAPTER  XI 

MAKING   PLANS 

"Are  you  sure  this  is  so — is  Danny  Rugg 
really  going  up  to  the  woods  near  Snow 
Lodge?"  asked  Bert  of  Charley,  after  a 
pause. 

"That's  what  Frank  Smith  told  me,"  re- 
plied Charley,  "  and  you  know  Frank  and 
Danny  are  great  chums." 

"That's  so.  Well,  if  Danny  doesn't  bother 
us  we  won't  make  any  trouble  for  him,"  said 
Bert.  "  Still,  I'd  rather  he  w^ould  go  some- 
where else." 

"If  Mr.  Rugg  is  going  up  to  see  about  hav- 
ing lumber   cut,"   said   Nan,   "  I  guess  there 
'won't  be  much   fun   for  Danny.     Maybe  he 
won't  bother  us  at  all." 

"He  will  if  he  gets  a  chance,"  declared  her 
brother.  "  Danny's  just  that  kind.  But  we'll 
wait  and  see." 

107 


Io8    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

Bert,  Nan  and  Charley  talked  for  some  time 
longer  about  the  trip  to  Snow  Lodge,  and  then, 
as  it  was  getting  nearly  time  for  dinner,  they 
skated  down  the  lake  toward  their  homes. 

"  How  are  you  folks  going  up  to  the 
lodge?"  asked  Charley,  before  parting  from 
Bert  and   Nan. 

"  Oh,  I  guess  father  will  take  one  of  his  big 
lumber  sleds  and  drive  us  all  up,"  replied  Bert. 
"  We'll  have  to  take  along  lots  of  things  to  eat, 
for  it's  a  good  ways  to  the  store,  and  we  might 
get  snowed  in." 

"That's  right,"  said  Charley.  "But  sa3% 
why  don't  you  and  Freddie  go  tip  in  our  ice- 
boat, the  Ice  Bird?  It  isn't  much  of  a  run  to 
Snow  Lodge,  on  the  lake,  and  it's  good  going 
now." 

"  I  never  thought  of  that!  "  exclaimed  Bert. 
*^  I  wonder  if  father  would  let  us?" 

"'  You  can  ask  him,"  said  Nan.  "  !*<!  like 
to  skate  up,  if  it  vrasn't  so  far.  Bui  I  don't 
believe  it  would  be  safe  to  take  Freddie  on  the 
ice-boat,  Bert.  He's  so  little,  and  so  easily  ex- 
cited that  he  might  tumble  out." 

"  That's  right.    And  yet  it  will  be  no  fun  to 


MAKING   PLANS 


109 


sail  It  alone.     I  wish  you  could  go  with  me, 
Charley." 

"  I  wish  I  could,  but  I  don't  see  how  I  can. 
My  folks  are  going  to  my  grandmother's  for 
a  couple  of  weeks.     Otherwise  I'd  be  glad  to 

go." 

"  Well,  maybe  my  father  will  sail  in  the  ice- 
boat with  me,"  spoke  Bert.  "  I  guess  I'll  ask 
him." 

Bert  and  Nan  had  much  to  talk  about  as 
iHey  skated  on,  having  bidden  Charley  good- 
bye, and  their  conversation  was  mostly  about 
the  new  idea  of  getting  to  Snow  Lodge  on 
the  ice. 

"  I  don't  w^ant  to  skate  alone,  any  more  than 
you  want  to  go  in  the  ice-boat  alone,"  said 
Nan.  "  But  maybe  mamma  and  papa  will  let 
us  invite  some  of  our  friends  to  spend  a  vreek 
or  so  r.t  Snow  Lodge  with  us.  Then  it  would 
be  all  right." 

*'  It  surely  v/ould,"  said  Bert. 

The  Christmas  dinner  at  the  Bobbsey  home 
was  a  jolly  affair,  and  while  it  was  being  eaten 
Bert  spoke  to  his  father  about  the  ice-boat. 

''  Do  you  think  it  will  carry  you  to  the  upper 


no    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

end  of  the  lake?  "  asked  Mr.  Bobbsey  with  a 
smile,  for  Bert  and  Charley  had  made  the  boat 
themselves,  with  a  little  help.  Though  it  was 
a  home-made  affair,  Bert  was  as  proud  of  it 
as  though  a  large  sum  had  been  spent  for  it. 

"Of  course  it  will  carry  us  to  Snow  Lodge," 
he  said.  "  There  would  be  room  for  four  or 
five  on  it,  if  the  wind  was  strong  enough  to 
carry  us  to  the  head  of  the  lake.  But  I  don't 
want  to  go  alone.  Father.    Could  you  come?  '* 

"  I'm  afraid  not,"  laughed  Mr.  Bobbsey. 
**  I'll  have  to  go  in  the  big  sled  with  your 
mother,  and  the  provisions.  We're  going  to 
take  Dinah  and  Sam  along,  you  know.,  Can't 
you  ask  some  of  your  boy  friends?  I  guess 
there's  room  enough  at  the  Lodge." 

"  That's  just  what  I'll  do!  "  exclaimed  Bert. 
"  I'll  see  who  of  the  boys  can  go." 

"And  may  I  ask  Grace  Lavine  or  Nellie 
Parks  ?  "  inquired  Nan.  "  We  could  skate  up, 
or  go  part  way  in  the  ice-boat  with  the  boys." 

"  I  think  so,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey. 

"  I  know  who  you  could  take  on  the  ice- 
boat," said  Freddie,  passing  his  plate  for  more 
turkey. 


MAKING   PLANS  III 

"Who?"  asked  Bert. 

"Dinah!"  cried  the  little  fellow.  **  She 
■would  be  so  heavy  that  she  couldn't  roll  off, 
and  if  the  ice-boat  started  to  blow  away  she'd 
be  as  good  as  an  anchor." 

"That's  right!"  cried  Nan.  "Dinah,  did 
you  hear  what  Freddie  is  planning  for  you?" 
she  asked  as  the  fat  cook  came  in  with  the 
plum  pudding. 

"  I  'clar  t'  goodness  I  neber  knows  what  dat 
ar'  chile  will  be  up  to  next ! "  exclaimed  Dinah 
with  a  laugh.  "  But  if  he  am  plannin'  to  squirt 
any  mo'  fire  injun  water  on  me  I's  gwine  t' 
run  away,  dat's  what  I  is ! " 

They  all  laughed  at  this,  Dinah  joining  in, 
and  then  Freddie  explained  what  he  had  said. 

"  No,  sah !  Yo'  don't  cotch  me  on  no  ice- 
cream boat !  "  declared  Dinah.  "  I'll  go  in  a 
sled,  but  I  ain't  gwine  t'  fall  down  no  hole  in 
de  ice  and  be  bit  by  a  fish !    No,  sah !  " 

There  was  more  laughter,  and  then  the 
plum  pudding  was  served.  Freddie  begged  that 
Snoop  and  Snap  be  given  an  extra  good  din- 
ner, on  account  of  it  being  Christmas,  and 
Dinah  promised  to  see  to  this. 


112    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bobbsey  discussed  the  plans 
for  going  to  Snow  Lodge.  They  agreed  that 
Bert  and  Nan,  if  they  wished,  might  each 
ask  a  friend,  for  the  old  farmhouse  in  the 
woods  on  the  edge  of  the  lake  contained  many 
room.s.  It  was  completely  furnished,  all  that 
was  needed  being  food. 

"So  if  you  young  folks  want  to  skate  or 
ice-boat  up  the  lake  I  see  no  objection,"  said 
Mr.  Bobbsey.  "  The  rest  of  us  will  go  in  a 
big  sled." 

''Couldn't  I  go  in  the  ice-boat?"  asked 
Freddie.  "  I'm  getting  big.  I'm  almost  in  the 
first  reader  book." 

"  We're  going  so  fast  your  fire  engine 
might  be  lost  overboard,"  said  Bert  with  a 
smile,  and  that  was  enough  for  his  little 
brother.  He  didn't  want  that  to  happen  for 
the  world,  so  he  gave  up  the  plan  of  going  on 
the  Ice  Bird. 

*'  I  don't  like  the  idea  of  that  Danny  Rugg 
going  to  be  near  us,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey  to  her 
husband,  when  Bert  had  told  this  news.  "  He's 
sure  to  make  trouble." 

"Perhaps  not,"  said  Mr.  Bobbsey.     "Bert 


MAKING   PLANS  II3 

generally    manages    to    hold    his    own    when 
Danny    bothers   him." 

"  Yes,  I  know.  But  it  always  makes  hard 
feelings.  I  do  wish  Danny  wasn't  going  up 
there." 

"  Well,  the  woods  are  open,  and  we  can't 
stop  him,"  said  Mr.  Bobbsey,  w^ith  a  smile. 
The  children  had  gone  out  to  play,  and  the 
house  was  quiet  once  more. 
•  "  There  is  a  great  deal  to  do  to  get  ready," 
went  on  Mrs,  Bobbsey.  "  But  I  think  the  trip 
wnll  do  us  all  good.  I  only  hope  none  of  us 
take  cold." 

"  Don't  worry,'*  advised  her  husband.  "  I'll 
see  Mr.  Carford,  and  have  the  fires  made  up 
a  couple  of  days  before  we  arrive.  That  v/ill 
make  the  house  good  and  warm,  and  dry  it 
out." 

They  talked  over  the  various  things  they  had 
to  do  in  order  to  make  their  stay  at  Snow 
Lodge  pleasant,  and  then  went  out  to  call  on 
som.e  friends.  , 

That  afternoon  Bert  and  Nan  extended  the 
invitation  to  Snow  Lodge  to  a  number  of  their 
boy  and  girl  friends,  explaining  how  they  were 


114    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

going  to  make  the  trip  on  skates  or  on  the  ice- 
boat. 

But  one  after  another  declined.    Either  their 

^parents  had  made  other  plans  for  spending  the 

Christmas  holidays,  or  they  did  not  think  it 

wise  to  let  their  children  go  off  in  the  woods. 

Bert  asked  a  number  of  boys  he  knew,  but 
none  of  them  could  go,  and  Grace  Lavine, 
Nellie  Parks,  and  many  other  girls  to  whom 
Nan  spoke,  made  excuses. 

"  I  guess  we'll  have  to  give  up  the  ice-boat 
plan,"  said  Bert,  regretfully  that  night  to 
Nan.  "  No  one  seems  able  to  go.  Will  you 
risk  it  with  me,  Nan?" 

"  I  wouldn't  be  afraid,"  she  answered.  "  If 
mamma  and  papa  will  let  me  I'll  sail  in  the 
Ice  Bird  with  you." 

"  Then  we'll  go  that  way ! "  cried  Bert. 
But  the  next  day  something  occurred  that 
made  a  change  in  the  plans  of  the  Bobbsey 
jtwins. 


CHAPTER   XII 

THE  LETTERS 

The  day  after  Christmas,  when  Bert  and 
Nan  came  home  from  having  been  to  see  a 
number  of  their  friends,  but  not  having  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  any  of  them  to  promise  to 
make  the  trip  to  Snow  Lodge,  the  two  older 
Bobbsey  twins  were  quite  discouraged. 

"  I'll  need  another  fellow  to  help  me  sail  the 
ice-boat,"  spoke  Bert.  *'  Of  course  I  know 
you'll  do  all  you  can,  Nan,  but  we  can't  tell 
what  might  happen.  I  don't  see  what's  the 
matter  with  all  the  fellows,  anyhow,  that  they 
can't  go." 

"And  the  girls,  too,"  added  Nan.  "I 
couldn't  get  one  of  them  to  promise.  And  I 
don't  know  whether  mamma  and  papa  will  let 
you  and  me  go  in  the  ice-boat  by  ourselves." 

And,  when  they  heard  of  this  plan,  both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bobbsey  objected  to  it. 
115 


Il6    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LOjOo-E 

"  It  would  be  too  risky/'  decided  Mr.  Bobb- 
sey.  "Your  ice-boat  is  a  small  one,  I  know, 
Bert,  but  in  a  stiff  wind  it  might  capsize  if 
you  did  not  have  some  other  boy  along  to  help 
you  manage  it.  I  guess  you  and  Nan  had  bet- 
ter come  with  us  in  the  big  sled." 

"  I  think  so,  too,"  added  Mrs.  Bobbsey 

There  seemed  to  be  no  other  way  out  of  it, 
and  Nan  and  Bert  felt  quite  badly.  Not  even 
the  tricks  of  Snap  and  Snoop,  when  Fre^ddie 
and  Flossie  put  the  dog  and  cat  through  them 
before  going  to  bed,  would  cause  their  older 
brother  and  sister  to  look  happy. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  ]\iamma  Bobbsey, 
"  when  we  get  to  Snow  Lodge  you'll  have 
such  a  good  tim.e  that  you  v/on't  mind  not 
having  made  the  trip  on  skates  or  on  the  ice- 
boat. And  you  can  skate  all  you  like  when 
you  get  up  there." 

The  next  day  Freddie  was  playing  quite  a 
game.  He  had  a  little  toy  village,  made  of 
pasteboard  houses,  and  this  he  had  set  up  in 
the  playroom.  He  was  pretending  that  a  fire 
had  broken  out  in  one  of  the  dwellings  and  he 
was  going  to  put  it  out  with  his  toy  engine. 


THE  LETTERS 


117 


Of  course  there  was  not  even  a  match  on  fire, 
for  Mrs.  Bobbsey  was  very  careful  about  this, 
but  Freddie  pretended  to  his  heart's  content. 
He  was  allowed  to  have  real  water,  but  Dinah 
had  spread  on  the  floor  an  old  rubber  coat  so 
that  the  spray  w^ould  do  no  harm. 

With  a  great  shout  Freddie  came  running 
out  of  the  '*  engine  house,"  which  was  a  chair 
turned  on  its  side.  He  was  pulling  his  toy 
after  him,  racing  to  the  make-believe  blaze. 

Just  then  Flossie  came  into  the  room  with 
her  new  walking  doll,  and,  not  seeing  her, 
Freddie  ran  into  and  knocked  her  over. 

Flossie  sat  down  quite  hard,  and  for  a  mo- 
ment was  too  surprised  to  cry.  But  a  moment 
later,  when  she  saw  Freddie's  fire  engine  run 
over  her  new  doll,  which  cried  out  "  Mamma !  " 
as  if  in  pain,  the  tears  came  into  Flossie's  eyes. 

"  Oh,  you  bad  boy !  "  she  exclaimed,  forget- 
ting her  own  pain,  at  the  sight  of  her  doll, 
"  youVe  run  right  over  her !  " 

"  I — I  couldn't  help  it !  "  said  Freddie,  stop- 
ping in  his  rush  to  the  fire  to  pick  up  his  sister's 
toy.     "  You  got  right  in  my  way." 

"I  did  not— Freddie  Bobbsey!" 


Il8    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  Yes,  you  did,  too,  and  I'm  going  to  squirt 
[water  on  you,  and  put  you  out.  You're  on 
fire !    Your  cheeks  are  all  red !  " 

This  was  true  enough.  Flossie  did  get  very 
red  cheeks  when  she  was  excited. 

"  Don't  you  put  any  water  on  me ! "  she 
cried.  "  I'll  tell  mamma  on  you !  And  you've 
broke  my  best  doll,  too !  Oh,  dear !  "  and 
Flossie  burst  into  tears,  so  there  was  no  need 
for  Freddie  to  use  his  toy  engine  to  wet  her 
flaming  cheeks. 

This  frightened  Freddie.  He  seldom  made 
his  twin  sister  cry,  and  he  was  very  much 
alarmed. 

"  I — I  didn't  mean  to,  Flossie,"  he  said,  put- 
ting his  arms  around  her.  "  I  guess  I  was  run- 
ning pretty  fast.  Don't  cry,  and  you  can 
squirt  my  engine.  Maybe  if  you  squirted 
some  water  on  your  doll  she'd  be  all  right," 
and  Freddie  picked  up  the  talking  toy. 

"  Don't  you  dare  put  any  water  on  her !  '* 
screamed  Flossie.  "  You'll  make  her  catch 
cold,  and  then  she  won't  talk  at  all.  Oh,  dear ! 
I  wish  you  didn't  have  that  old  engine." 

Mrs.  Bobbsey  came  into  the  room  just  then, 


THE   LETTERS  II9 

or  there  is  no  telling  what  might  have  hap- 
pened. She  knew  what  to  do,  and  soon  she 
had  straightened  out  matters.  It  was  not  very 
often  that  Flossie  and  Freddie  had  trouble  of 
this  kind,  but  they  were  only  human  children, 
just  Hke  any  others,  and  they  had  their  little 
disputes  now  and  then. 

"  Oh,  dear !  This  will  never  do !  "  said  Mrs. 
Bobbsey.  "  Freddie,  you  must  not  rush  about 
the  house  so  fast." 

"  But,  mamma,  firemens  is  always  fast. 
They  have  to  be  fast,  and  I  was  going  to  a 
fire,"  the  fat  little  fellow  said. 

"  I  know%  dear,  but  you  should  look  where 
you  are  going.  And,  Flossie,  dear,  you  must 
watch  out  before  you  rush  into  a  room,  you 
know." 

"  Yes,  mamma,  but,  you  see,  I  was  pretend- 
ing my  doll  was  sick,  and  I  was  running  to  the 
doctor's  with  her." 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  cried  Mamma  Bobbsey.  "  You 
were  both  in  too  much  of  a  hurry,  I  think. 
Never    mind.      Let's  see  if  the  doll  is  hurt 

It  seemed  that  she  was,  for  though  she 
much." 


120    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

would  [walk  across  the  room  when  wound  up, 
she  would  not  cry  out  "  Mamma !  "  But  Mrs. 
Bobbsey  was  used  to  mending  broken  toys,  and 
after  poking  about  in  the  wheels  and  springs 
with  a  hairpin  she  soon  had  the  doll  so  it 
would  talk  again.  Then  Flossie  was  happy, 
and  her  tears  were  forgotten. 

Freddie  said  he  was  sorry  he  had  been  in 
such  a  hurry,  so  all  was  forgiven,  and  he  went 
on  playing  fireman.  He  was  in  the  midst  of 
putting  out  a  make-believe  blaze  in  the  village 
church  when  the  doorbell  rang,  and  the  post- 
man's whistle  was  heard. 

''  Will  you  get  the  mail,  dear?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Bobbsey  of  Freddie.  "  Dinah  is  busy,  I'm 
sure.  Let  me  see  how  mamma's  little  fat  fire- 
man can  get  the  letters.  But  don't  run !  "  she 
exclaimed,  "  or  you  might  fall  downstairs." 

"  I  won't,  mamima,"  said  Freddie. 

He  came  back  with  several  letters,  and  he 
was  again  playing  he  was  a  fireman,  and  Flos- 
sie was  making  believe  she  was  a  doctor  for 
her  sick  doll,  when  Mrs.  Bobbsey  exclaimed : 

"  Oh,  this  will  be  good  news  for  Bert,"  and 
she  looked  up  from  a  letter  she  was  reading. 


THE  LETTERS  121 

"  What  is  it,  mamma?  "  asked  Flossie-  "  Is 
someone  sending  him  more  Christmas  pres- 
ents?" 

"  No,  dear,  but  Harry,  your  cousin  from  the 
country,  you  know,  is  coming  to  visit  us.  Bert 
will  have  someone  to  play  with.  Won't  that 
be  nice?" 

"  And  can  I  play  with  him,  too  ?  "  asked 
Freddie. 

"  I  guess  so,  sometimes,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey. 
"  But  you  must  remember  that  Harry  is  about 
ten  years  old,  and  he  won't  always  want  to  be 
with  little  boys." 

"  I'm  a  big  boy !  "  declared  Freddie.  "  I'm 
'most  as  big  as  Bert." 

"  Well,  I  guess  you  can  have  some  fun,"  said 
Mrs.  Bobbsey.  "  Bert  will  be  glad  to  hear  this. 
Now,  who  can  this  other  letter  be  from?  "  and 
she  tore  open  the  envelope. 

"  Why ! "  she  cried,  as  she  quickly  read  it. 
*'  It's  from  Uncle  William  iMinturn,  at  the  sea- 
shore, and  he  says  his  daughter  Dorothy  is 
coming  to  pay  us  a  visit.  Well,  did  you  ever ! 
Our  two  cousins — one  from  the  country  and 
the  other  from  the  seashore — both  coming  at 


122    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

the  same  time!  Oh,  this  will  please  Bert  and 
Nan!" 

"  And  can't  we  have  a  good  time,  too  ? " 
asked  Flossie. 

"Of  course,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey.  "  Let  me 
see  now;  how  will  I  arrange  the  rooms  for 
them?  Oh,  I  forgot,  we're  going  to  Snow 
Lodge  soon.  I  wonder  what  I  can  do?  Both 
Dorothy  and  Harry  will  be  here  before  I  can 
tell  them  not  to  come.  I  must  telephone  to 
papa!  " 

Bert  and  Nan  came  in  just  then,  in  time  to 
hear  this  last. 

"  Telephone  to  papa ! "  exclaimed  Bert. 
"What's  the  matter,  mother?  Has  anything 
happened?  " 

"  Nothing,  only  your  cousins,  Dorothy  and 
Harry,  are  coming  to  visit  you.  And  I  don't 
know  what  to  do  about  it,  as  v^e  are  going  to 
Snow  Lodge!" 

"Do  about  it?"  cried  Bert.  "  WHy,  we 
won't  do  anything  about  it,  except  to  let  them 
come.  Say,  this  is  the  best  news  yet !  Harry 
can  go  with  me  on  the  ice-boat.  Hurray! 
Hurray!" 

"  Yes,  and  Dorothy  and  I  can  skate  on  th- 


THE  1.ETTERS 


123 


lake!"  said  Nan.  "Oh,  how  glad  I  am!" 
"  We'll  take  them  both  to  Snow  Lodge ! " 
cried  Bert.  *'  Now  we  won't  have  to  look  for 
any  other  boys  or  girls.  Well  have  our  own 
cousins !  Whoop  1  "  and  he  threw  his  arms 
around  his  mother,  while  Nan  tried  to  kiss 
her.  Flossie  and  Freddie  looked  on  in  pleased 
surprise.  The  letters  had  come  just  in  time. 
Now  there  would  be  a  jolly  party  at  Snow 
Lodge. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


IN  A  HARD  BLOW 


*^*  Are  you  girls  warm  enough  ?  "  asked  Bert 
Bobbsey,  as  he  and  his  cousin  Harry  started  to- 
ward the  frozen  lake  one  afternoon,  the  day 
before  they  were  all  to  start  for  Snow  Lodge. 

"  If  we  aren't  we  will  never  be,"  answered 
Dorothy  Minturn,  who  was  Nan's  "  seashore 
cousin  "  as  she  called  the  visitor.  "  I've  got 
on  so  many  things  that  it  would  be  easier  to 
roll  along  instead  of  walking,"  went  on  Doro- 
thy with  a  laugh.  . 

"  Well,  it's  a  good  thing  to  be  warm,  for  it 
will  be  cold  on  the  ice-boat;  won't  it,  Bert?" 
asked  Harry. 

"  That's  what  it  will.  There's  a  good  wind 
blowing,  too.  It's  stronger  than  I  thought  it 
was,"  and  Bert  bent  to  the  blast  as  he  walked 
along  with  the  others. 

"Will  there  be  any  danger?"  asked  Doro- 
124 


IN   A   HARD   BLOW 


125 


thy,  who  was  not  used  to  the  activities  of  the 
Bobbseys. 

"Oh,  don't  worry!"  cried  Harry.  "  We'lJ 
look  after  you  girls." 

"  They  think  they  will,"  murmured  Nan, 
looking  at  her  cousin.  "  I  guess  I  know  al- 
most as  much  about  the  Ice  Bird  as  Bert 
does." 

"Where  is  your  ice-boat?"  asked  Harry  of 
Bert,  as  they  kept  on  along  the  path  that  led 
to  the  lake. 

"  Over  in  the  next  cove.  I  had  her  out  the 
other  day,  and  the  wind  died  out,  leaving  me 
there.  Since  then  we've  been  so  busy  getting 
ready  to  go  to  Snow  Lodge  that  I  haven't  had 
time  to  bring  her  back  to  the  dock." 

"Will  she  be  safe  over  there?" 

"  I  guess  so — hardly  anybody  goes  there  in 
winter." 

The  two  cousins — Harry  from  the  country 
and  Dorothy  from  the  seashore, — in  each  of 
which  places  the  Bobbseys  had  spent  part  of 
the  preceding  summer, — had  followed  soon  af- 
ter their  letters,  and  had  been  warmly  wel- 
comed by  Nan,  Bert,  Flossie  and  Freddie.  The 


126    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

visitors  were  rather  surprised  to  learn  that  the 
Bobbsey  family  was  preparing  to  go  away  for 
a  winter  vacation  in  the  woods,  but  they  were 
only  too  glad  to  accept  an  invitation  to  go 
along. 

So  it  was  arranged,  and  in  another  day  the 
start  to  Mr.  Car  ford's  former  home  would  be 
made.  Mr.  Bobbsey  had  a  big  sled  gotten 
ready,  there  were  boxes,  barrels  and  packages 
of  provisions,  Snow  Lodge  had  been  opened 
hy  2L  farmer  living  near  there,  who  remained  in 
it  all  night,  keeping  up  the  fires  so  that  the 
long-deserted  house  would  not  be  chilly,  and 
all  was  in  readiness. 

The  plans  of  Nan  and  Bert  to  go  to  Snow 
Lodge  by  means  of  skates  and  on  the  ice-boat 
had  been  agreed  to. 

Dorothy  and  Nan  thought  they  would  rather 
skate  than  go  all  the  way  on  the  ice-boat,  but 
Bert  and  Harry  decided  to  keep  to  the  ice  craft 
all  the  way. 

"  And  when  you  girls  gtt  tired  of  skating 
just  wave  your  handkerchiefs,  and  we'll  wait 
ior  you,"  said  Bert. 

J^ow  they  were  going  to  take  a  little  trial 


IN   A   HARD   BLOW  127 

sail  on  the  Ice  Bird  before  starting  off  on  the 
long-er  cruise. 

As  the  four  walked  around  a  point  of  land; 
and  came  within  sight  of  the  ice-boat,  tied  to  a 
stake  in  the  ice  of  the  cove,  Harry  uttered  a 
cry. 

"Look!"  he  exclaimed  to  Bert,  "someone 
is  at  your  boat !  " 

"  That's  right !  "  cried  Bert,  starting  to  run. 
Just  then  a  figure  skated  away  from  the  craft,, 
and  Bert  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief. 

"  I  guess  it  was  only  someone  taking  a  look 
at  her,"  he  said.  "  There  aren't  m.any  on  the 
lake." 

"  We  can't  go  Tery  far,"  said  Nan,  as  they 
neared  the  boat,  "  for  mamma  said  to  be  back 
early.  We've  got  a  great  deal  of  packing  to 
do  yet." 

"  We'll  just  take  a  little  spin,"  replied  Bert. 

They  were  soon  on  the  ice-boat,  gliding  up 
and  down  the  lake,  which  was  frozen  to  a 
glassy  smoothness. 

"  If  it's  like  this  to-morrow  it  w^ill  be  grand 
for  skating ! "  exclaimed  Nan. 

"  Yes,  and  fine  for  ice-boating,  too,"  replied 


128    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

her    brother.      "  We'll    beat    you    to    Snow 
Lodge." 

"Well,  you  ought  to/'  said  Dorothy,  "but 
we'll  be  warmer  skating  than  you  will  be  on 
the  ice-boat." 

"  Not  when  we  take  along  all  the  fur  robes 
I've  got  out  for  the  trip,"  replied  Bert.  "I 
didn't  bring  'em  this  time,  as  it  was  too  far  to 
carry.  But  to-morrow  Harry  and  I  will  be 
regular  Eskimos." 

Back  and  forth  on  the  lake  sailed  the  Ice 
Bird  with  the  merry-hearted  boys  and  girls. 
Bert  did  not  go  very  far,  as  he  noticed  that  the 
wind  was  growing  much  stronger  and  his  boat, 
though  sturdy  and  well-built,  was  not  intended 
to  weather  a  gale. 

"  Well,  I  think  we'd  better  start  for  home 
now,"  said  Nan  after  about  an  hour's  sailing. 
"  Mamma  will  be  expecting  us." 

"All  right,"  assented  Bert.  "  Do  you  want 
to  steer  her,  Harry?  " 

"  I'm  afraid  I  don't  know  how,"  replied  the 
country  lad. 

"  Oh,  you'll  soon  learn.  I'll  be  right  beside 
you  here,  and  tell  you  what  to  do." 


IN   A   HARD    BLOW 


129 


"  Don't  upset,  please,  'whatever  you  do," 
urged  Dorothy. 

"  I'll  try  not  to,"  promised  Harry. 

When  they  got  out  of  the  sheltered  cove 
they  felt  the  full  force  of  the  wind,  and  for  a 
moment  even  Nan,  who  had  been  on  the  boat 
many  times,  felt  a  bit  timid.  The  Ice  Bird 
tilted  to  one  side,  the  left  hand  runner  raising 
high  in  the  air. 

"  Oh !  "  screamed  Dorothy.  "  We're  going 
over!" 

"No,  we're  not!  Sit  still!"  cried  Bert, 
grasping  the  tiller,  which  Harry  was  not  hold- 
ing just  right.  By  turning  the  ice-boat  to  one 
side  the  wund  did  not  strike  it  so  hard,  and  the 
craft  settled  down  on  the  level  again. 

"There!  That's  better!"  exclaimed  Doro- 
thy, w^ho  had  grabbed  hold  of  Nan. 

"Oh,  that's  nothing,"  said  Nan.  "Bert 
and  I  are  used  to  that." 

But  as  the  ice-boat  proceeded  it  w^as  evident 
that  those  on  her  were  not  going  to  have  an 
easy  time  to  get  to  the  Bobbsey  dock.  The 
wind  blew  harder  and  harder,  and  the  sail 
seemed  ready  to  rip  apart.     It  took  both  Bert 


130    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

and  Harry  to  hold  the  rudder  steady,  and  even 
then  the  tiller  was  almost  torn  from  their 
grasp. 

Even  Nan  began  to  look  a  little  frightened, 
and  she  did  not  laugh  when  Dorothy  stretched 
out  flat  and  held  on  to  the  side  of  the  boat 
with  all  her  strength. 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  blown  away  if  I  can 
help  it,"  said  Dorothy. 

Harder  and  harder  blew  the  wind,  sending 
the  ice-boat  along  at  great  speed.  In  a  few 
minutes  more  it  would  be  at  the  dock,  where 
Bert  kept  it  tied. 

"  If  it  blows  this  way  to-morrow  we  won't 
be  long  getting  to  Snow  Lodge,"  cried  Bert 
in  Harry's  ear.  He  had  to  shout  to  be  heard 
above  the  howling  of  the  wind. 

"  That's  right,"  agreed  the  country  boy. 
"  The  girls  can  never  skate  along  as  fast  as 
this." 

"  We'll  have  to  use  less  sail,"  w^ent  on  Bert, 
**  and  then  we  won't  go  so  fast." 

He  and  Harry  shifted  the  rudder  to  steer 
closer  to  shore.  Suddenly  the  wind  came  in  a 
fierce   gust.     The   Ice-boat   seemed   about   to 


IN  A   HARD   BLOW  13F- 

turn  completely  over.   The  two  girls  screamed,, 
even  Nan  being  frightened  now. 

''  Oh,  what  is  it?     What  is  it?  "  cried  Doro-^! 
thy. 

Then  came  a  sharp  crack.  There  was  a 
sound  as  though  a  hundred  pop-guns  were  be- 
ing fired,  and  the  boat  slackened  speed. 

"  Look ! "  cried  Harry  pointing  ahead 
•'  Our  sail  has  burst,  Bert." 

"  No,  it's  the  sheet  rope — the  main  rope  that 
holds  the  sail  fast — that's  broken,"  replied 
Bert.  "  Lucky  it  did,  too,  or  we  might  have 
gone  over.     I  w^as  going  to  let  go  of  it." 

The  ice-boat  slid  along  a  short  distance,  and 
then  came  to  a  stop.  The  sail,  no  longer  held 
in  place  so  as  to  catch  the  wind,  was  blowing 
and  flapping,  making  snapping  sounds  like  a 
line  of  clothes  in  a  heavy  wind. 

"  All  right,  girls,  no  danger  now,"  called 
Bert,  as  he  got  out  to  make  the  flapping  sail 
fast  again.  As  he  looked  at  the  end  of  the 
broken  rope  he  uttered  a  cry  of  surprise. 

"Look  here!"  he  called  to  Harry,  "this 
rope  has  been  cut !  " 

"Cut?" 


132    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  Yes.  Someone  hacked  it  partly  through 
with  a  knife,  and  the  wind  did  the  rest." 

There  was  no  doubt  of  it.  The  main  rope 
liad  been  partly  severed,  and  the  strain  of  the 
iliard  blow  had  done  the  rest. 

"  That  fellow  we  saw  near  the  ice-boat ! " 
'l^egan  Harry.  "  It  must  have  been  him !  Who 
was  he?  '* 

"  Danny  Rugg — -if  anybody,"  answered 
Bert.  "  I  thought  it  looked  like  him.  Prob- 
ably he  heard  that  we  were  going  to  use  the 
boat  to  go  to  Snow  Lodge,  and  he  wanted  to 
make  trouble  for  us.  He's  going  to  camp  up 
there  near  us,  I  hear." 

"  Gracious !  "  cried  Dorothy.  "  I  hope  he 
doesn^t  play  any  tricks  like  that  up  there." 

"  If  he  does  I  guess  Harry  and  I  can  attend 
to  him,"  cried  Bert.  "  But,  in  a  way,  it's  a 
good  thing  the  rope  did  break  or  we  might 
have  upset.  Only  Danny,  if  he  did  it,  had 
no  idea  of  doing  us  a  good  turn.  He  just 
wanted  to  make  trouble." 

"Can  you  fix  it?"  asked  Nan  of  her 
brother. 

"Ohy  yes,   it  can  be   spliced  and   will  be 


IN   A   HARD   BLOW 


^33 


Stronger  than  ever.  But  I  won't  do  it  now. 
We  can  w^alk  the  rest  of  the  w^ay  to  the  dock. 
The  wind  is  blowing  harder  than  ever,  and  we 
don't  want  any  accidents." 

Indeed,  the  wind  was  blowing  a  gale  now, 
and  even  with  the  sail  down  the  ice-boat  went 
along  at  such  a  speed  that  it  was  all  Harry  and 
Bert  could  do  to  hold  it. 

But  finally  it  w^as  gotten  to  the  dock,  and 
made  fast,  and  while  the  girls  went  on  to  the 
Bobbsey  home  to  finish  with  their  packing, 
Bert  and  Harry  mended  the  broken  rope. 

"  I'll  have  to  teach  Danny  Rugg  a  good  les- 
son," said  Bert  to  his  cousin. 

"  Yes,  and  I'll  help  you,"  returned  Harry. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

AT   SNOW   LODGE 

"Are  we  all  here?" 

"  Have  we  got  everything?  " 

"  Here,  Snap!  If  you  jump  out  again  you 
ean't  go ! " 

"Dinah,  you  hold  Snap,  will  you?" 

"  Good  Ian'  chile !  I'se  got  about  all  I  kin 
do  to  hold  mah  own  self!  " 

These  were  some  of  the  cries  and  exclama- 
tions as  the  Bobbsey  family  prepared  to  start 
on  the  trip  to  Snow  Lodge.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  Nan  and  Bert,  and  Dorothy  and 
Harry,  they  were  all  in  a  big  sled,  drawn  by 
four  horses  that  were  prancing  about  in  the 
snow,  anxious  to  get  started.  At  every  step 
the  bells  jingled.  Sam,  the  colored  man,  was 
driving.  With  him  on  the  front  seat  sat  fat 
Freddie. 

134 


AT   SNOW   LODGE 


135 


"  I'm  going  to  drive,  as  soon'  as  we  get  out 
on  the  country  road !  "  cried  Freddie. 

"He  is  not;  is  he,  Sam?"  demanded  Flos- 
sie, who  was  taking  one  of  her  dolls  on  the 
trip,  and  with  the  doll,  and  her  big  muff,  little 
Flossie  had  about  all  she  could  manag^e. 

"  Yes,  I  am  too,"  declared  Freddie.  "  You 
said  I  could,  Sam;  you  know  you  did!" 

"  Well  I  guess  you  kin  drive,  where  the 
roads  are  easy,"  promised  the  colored  man, 
w4th  a  scratch  of  his  black,  kinky  head. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bobbsey  were  now  on  their 
seat,  with  Flossie  between  them.  Dinah  was 
on  the  seat  behind,  while  in  back  of  her  were 
piled  the  packages  of  food. 

Snap,  the  trick  dog,  was  to  be  taken  along, 
but  it  had  been  decided  to  leave  Downy  the 
duck,  and  Snoop,  the  fat,  black  cat  at  home. 
A  neighbor  had  promised  to  look  after  them 
and  feed  them. 

"  Well,  I  guess  we're  all  ready,"  said  Mr. 
Bobbsey,  as  he  looked  back  at  the  well-loaded 
sled.  "  Now  be  careful,"  he  called  to  Nan  and 
Bert,  who  with  their  cousins  were  to  go  to 
Snow  Lodge  on  the  icy  lake.     The  girls  would 


136    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

skate  part  of  the  way  and  ride  on  the  ice-boat 
the  remainder  of  the  distance. 

"  We'll  be  careful,"  said  Bert. 

The  day  was  cold,  and  clouds  overhead 
seemed  to  tell  that  it  was  going  to  snow.  But 
the  young  folks  hoped  the  storm  would  hold 
off  until  night,  when  they  would  be  safe  in  the 
big,  old-fashioned  farmhouse. 

Everyone  was  w^ell  wrapped  up,  and  Flossie 
and  Freddie  were  almost  lost  in  big  rugs  that 
had  been  tucked  around  them,  for  their  mother 
did  not  want  them  to  get  cold. 

Piles  of  rugs  and  blankets  had  been  put  on 
the  ice-boat  so  those  aboard  would  be  com- 
fortable. 

"Well,  let's  start!"  called  Mr.  Bobbsey 
finally.  "  We'll  see  who  wall  get  there  first, 
Bert,  or  us." 

"All  right — a  race  then!"  cried  Nan. 

Down  to  the  glittering,  icy  lake  went  the 
boys  and  girls,  down  to  w^here  the  ice-boat 
awaited  them.  It  had  been  put  in  good  shape 
for  the  trip,  but  before  starting  Bert  and  Harry 
looked  over  all  the  ropes  to  make  sure  none 
iwere  frayed,  or  had  been  cut.     Nothing  had 


AT   SNOW  LODGE 


137 


been  seen  of  Danny  Rugg,  and  Charley  Mason 
told  Bert  he  thought  the  bully  had  gone  to  the 
wood  camp  with  his  father. 

"  Don't  you  girls  want  to  come  on  the  ice- 
boat for  a  ways  first?  "  asked  Bert  of  his  sis- 
ter and  Dorothy.  *'  Then,  when  you  get  tired 
of  riding,  you  can  skate." 

"  Shall  we?  "  inquired  Nan. 

"  I  guess  so/'  answered  Dorothy,  and  so  they 
did.  The  wind  was  not  as  strong  as  it  had 
been  the  day  before,  but  it  was  enough  of  a 
breeze  to  send  the  Ice  Bird  along  at  a  good 
speed.  Well  wrapped  in  the  robes  and  blank- 
ets, the  young  people  enjoyed  the  trip  very 
much. 

*'  I'm  sure  we'll  be  there  before  papa  and 
mamma  are,"  said  Nan  as  they  glided  along. 
**  See  how  fast  we  are  going." 

"  Yes,  but  this  v/ind  may  not  keep  up  all  the 
way,"  spoke  her  brother.  "  And  it's  a  good 
ways  to  Snow  Lodge." 

"  Oh,  well,  we'll  have  a  good  time,  anyhow," 
said  Dorothy. 

"And  we'll  stop  and  build  a  fire  and  have 
lunch  when  we're  hungry,"  added  Harry,  for 


138    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

they  had  brought  some  food  with  them,  and 
could  make  chocolate  over  a  little  fire. 

Meanwhile  the  sled-load  of  the  Bobbseys 
with  their  two  colored  servants,  and  Snap,' 
was  proceeding  along  the  snowy  road.  The 
path  had  been  well  broken,  and  the  going  was 
good,  so  they  made  fairly  fast  time.  But 
every  now  and  then  Snap  w^ould  insist  on 
jumping  out  to  run  along  the  road,  and  every 
time  he  did  this  Flossie  and  Freddie  would 
set  up  a  howl,  fearing  he  W'Ould  get  lost. 

"  Snap ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Bobbsey,  when 
this  had  happened  four  or  five  times,  "  if  you 
don't  stay  here  quietly  I'll  tie  you  fast.  Lie 
dowm,  sir !  " 

Snap  barked,  wagged  his  tail,  and  looked  at 
Mr.  Bobbsey  with  his  head  tilted  to  one  side, 
as  much  as  to  say : 

*'  Very  well  sir.  I'll  be  good  now.  But  I 
did  want  a  little  run."  Then  Snap  curled  up 
at  Dinah's  feet  and  gave  no  more  trouble. 

"  I  'clar  t'  goodness !  "  exclaimed  the  colored 
cook,  wnth  a  laugh  that  made  her  shake  all 
over,  "  dat  ar'  Snap  am  a  good  foot-warmer, 
so  he  be.     I  jest  hopes  he  don't  jump  out  no 


AT   SNOW   LODGE 


139 


mo',  so  I  does."  And,  for  a  time  at  least, 
the  trick  dog  seemed  content  to  lie  quietly  in 
the  sled. 

It  was  not  a  very  exciting*  trip  for  those 
in  the  sled,  as  they  went  along  through  the 
streets  of  Lakeport  and  so  out  into  the  open 
country.  Then  they  passed  through  village 
after  village,  with  little  occurring.  The  roads 
were  good,  and  occasionally  they  met  other 
teams. 

Once  they  came  to  a  narrow  place  between 
two  big  drifts,  and  as  another  sled  was  coming 
toward  them  it  was  rather  a  race  to  see  which 
one  would  get  to  the  opening  first. 

"  You  can't  go  through  when  he  does,  Sam," 
said  Mr.  Bobbsey,  nodding  toward  the  other 
driver. 

"  I  knows  I  can't,  sah.  But  I'll  get  there 
first." 

Sam  called  to  his  horses  and  they  sprang 
forward.  A  little  later  they  had  reached  the 
opening  between  the  drifts  and  the  other  sled 
had  to  wait  until  the  Bobbseys  got  out  of  the 
narrow  place. 

All  this  time  Bert  and  the  others  were  mak- 


I40    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

ing  their  way  up  the  lake  on  the  ice.  After 
going  a  mile  or  two  on  the  ice-boat  the  wind 
died  down  so  that  the  craft  did  not  go  very 
fast. 

"Come  on,  Dorothy,"  called  Nan,  "let's 
skate  for  a  ways.  And  if  you  get  too  far 
ahead  of  us,  please  wait,  Bert,"  she  added, 
and  her  brother  promised  that  he  and  Harry 
would. 

For  a  time  Dorothy  and  Nan  enjoyed  the 
skating  very  much,  and  it  was  a  w^elcome 
change  from  sitting  still  on  the  ice-boat.  Then 
the  wMnd  sprang  up  again,  and  Harry  and  Bert 
got  so  far  ahead  that  the  two  girls  thought 
they  should  never  be  able  to  skate  to  them. 

"Oh,  I  wish  they'd  wait,"  said  Dorothy. 
"  I'm  getting  tired." 

"  I'll  wave  to  them — maybe  they'll  see  my 
handkerchief,"  said  Nan.' 

Bert  and  Harry  did  see  the  girls,  and,  guess- 
ing what  the  white  signal  meant,  they  lowered 
the  sail  of  the  ice-boat  and  waited  for  the  two 
to  come  up. '  And  the  girls  were  glad  enough 
now  to  sit  amid  the  comfortable  robes  and 
blankets. 


AT   SNOW  LODGE 


141 


"  Skating  such  a  long  distance  is  harder  than 
I  thought  it  would  be,"  confessed  Nan,  with 
a  sigh. 

"  Yes,  the  ice-boat  is  good  enough  for  me," 
agreed  Dorothy.  "  But  when  we  get  to  Snow 
Lodge  w^e'll  do  some  skating." 

"  That's  what  we  will,"  said  Nan. 

Mile  after  mile  was  covered  by  the  Ice  Bird. 
They  passed  small  towns  and  villages  on  the 
shore  of  the  frozen  lake.  Many  of  the  places 
were  known  to  Nan  and  Bert,  who  had  often 
visited  them  in  the  summer  time,  rowing  to 
them  in  their  boat,  or  sailing  to  them  wuth  the 
older  folks. 

"Isn't  it  almost  time  to  eat?"  asked  Bert, 
after  a  bit.  "  That  sun  looks  as  if  it  were 
noon,  Nan." 

"  It's  half-past  eleven,"  spoke  Harry,  glanc- 
ing at  his  watch.  "There's  a  nice  little  cove 
where  we  can  be  out  of  the  wind,  and  where 
we  can  build  a  fire,"  he  w^nt  on,  pointing 
ahead. 

"  That's  what  we'll  do !  "  cried  Bert,  steering 
toward  it.  "  Now  you  girls  will  have  a  chance 
to  show  what  sort  of  cooks  you  are." 


143    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  Humph !  There's  nothing  to  cook  but 
chocolate !  "  said  Nan.  "  Any  one  could  make 
r  that.'' 

They  had  brought  with  them  the  chocolate 
all  ready  to  heat  in  a  pot,  and  soon  it  was  set 
over  a  fire  of  sticks  which  the  boys  had  made 
on  shore,  scraping  away  the  snow  from  the 
ground.  Nan  and  Dorothy  got  out  the  pack- 
ages of  sandwiches  and  cake,  and  soon  a  merry 
little  party  was  seated  on  the  ice-boat,  eating 
the  good  things. 

The  meal  was  soon  over  and  then  the  young 
people  got  ready  to  resume  their  trip.  Nan 
and  Dorothy  wanted  to  skate  a  bit,  but  Bert, 
looking  up  at  the  sky,  said : 

"  I  don't  think  it  will  be  safe.  It  looks  as 
though  it  were  going  to  storm  soon,  and  we 
don't  want  to  be  caught  in  it.  It  isn't  far  to 
Snow  Lodge  now,  and  once  we  are  there  let  it 
snow  as  much  as  it  likes.  But  if  it  comes 
down  before  we  get  there  we'll  have  hard  work 
to  keep  on  in  the  ice-boat.  Even  a  little  snow 
on  the  ice  will  clog  the  runners." 

So  the  skating  idea  was  given  up,  and  soon 
tliey  were  under  way  in  the  ice-boat  again. 


AT   SNOW   LODGE  I43 

The  clouds  grew  darker,  and  there  were  a  few 
scattering  flakes  of  snow. 

"  I  guess  we're  going  to  be  in  for  it,"  said 
Bert.  ''If  the  wind  would  only  blow  harder 
we  could  go  faster." 

As  if  in  answer  to  his  wish  the  wind  started 
up  and  the  boat  fairly  flew  over  the  ice.  Then 
the  storm  suddenly  broke  and  the  snow  w^as  so 
thick  that  they  could  not  see  where  they  were 
going. 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  cried  Dorothy,  who 
■was  not  used  to  being  out  in  such  a  blow. 

"  Keep  on — that's  the  only  thing  to  do,"  an- 
swered Bert.  "  We  w^ill  go  as  far  as  we  can 
in  the  boat  and  then  we'll  walk." 

"  Walk  to  Snow  Lodge !  "  cried  Nan.  "  We 
could  never  do  it !  " 

"  Oh,  it  isn't  so  far  now,"  said  her 
brother. 

The  snow  fell  so  fast  that  soon  the  ice-boat 
WTnt  slower  and  slower.     Finally  it  stopped  1 
altogether,    the    runners    clogged    with    snow.j 
The  wind  blowing  on  the  sail  nearly  turned 
the  craft  over. 

"  Cast    off    those    ropes ! "    cried    Bert    to 


144    '^HE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

Harry.  "We'll  have  to  leave  her  here  and 
walk  on." 

The  sail  was  lowered,  the  blankets  and  robes 
were  picked  up  to  be  carried,  and  the  four 
girls  and  boys  set  out  over  the  ice. 

"  We  must  keep  near  the  shore,"  said  Bert. 
"  Snow  Lodge  is  right  on  the  shore  of  the  lake, 
and  we  can't  miss  it." 

"  Oh,  suppose  we  did,  and  had  to  stay  out  all 
night?"  cried  Dorothy. 

"  We  won't  worry  until  we  have  to,"  spoke 
Nan. 

It  snowed  harder  and  harder,  and  grew 
quite  dark.  Even  Bert  was  worried.  He  and 
Harry  walked  on  ahead,  to  keep  the  wind  and 
snow  as  much  as  possible  out  of  the  faces  of 
the  girls. 

"  Bert,  I'm  sure  we're  lost ! "  cried  Nan  a 
little  later.  "  We  can't  see  where  we're  go- 
ing!    Don't  go  on  any  farther." 

"  We  can't  stay  here  on  the  ice  all  night,'* 
objected  Bert. 

"  Well,  it  is  pretty  dark,"  said  Harry.  "  Are 
there  any  houses  around  here?  " 

They  gazed  at  the  fast-gathering  blackness 


AT   SNOW   LODGE  14- 

a!l  about  them.  They  were  beginning  to  be 
very  much  afraid.  The  wind  howled,  and  the 
snow  came  down  harder  than  ever. 

"  There's  a  Hght !  "  suddenly  called  Dorothy. 

"Where?"  cried  all  the  others  eagerly. 

"  There,"  answered  Dorothy,  pointing  to- 
(ward  where  they  had  last  seen  the  land. 
"  Right  over  in  those  trees." 

"  Then  let's  go  toward  it,"  suggested  Bert. 
"  Maybe  they  can  tell  us  where  Snow  Lodge 
is,  and  if  it's  too  far  we'll  stay  there  all  night, 
if  they'll  let  us." 

The  welcome  light  shone  out  through  the 
storm  and  darkness.  The  four  young  folks 
made  their  way  toward  it  as  best  they  could, 
and,  as  they  came  nearer  they  could  see  that 
it  was  a  big  house  in  the  midst  of  trees.  Bert 
rubbed  his  eyes.  He  looked  again,  and  then 
he  cried : 

"  Why,  it's  Snow^  Lodge !  It's  Snow  Lodge ! 
We've  found  it  after  all !  We're  all  right  now ! 
We're  at  Snow  Lodge ! " 

"  Hurray !  "  cried  Harry. 

"  Oh,  how  glad  I  am ! "  said  Nan,  with  her 
arms  around  Dorothy. 


146    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

A  door  opened  and  the  light  streamed  out 
over  the  snow. 

"  Who  is  there?  "  called  Mr.  Bobbsey.  "  Is 
that  you,  Bert?" 

"  Yes,  father.     We're  here  at  last." 

"  Oh,  thank  goodness !  "  said  Mrs.  Bobb- 
sey. "  We  were  just  going  out  to  search  for 
you!" 


CHAPTER  XV 


THE  SNOW   SLIDE 


How  warm  and  cozy  it  was  in  Snow  Lodge ! 
How  bright  were  the  lights,  and  how  the  big 
fire  blazed,  crackled  and  roared  up  the  chim- 
ney! And  what  a  delightful  smell  came  from 
the  kitchen!  It  could  easily  be  told  that  Di- 
nah was  out  there. 

"  Where  have  you  been?  " 

"  What  happened  to  you?  " 

"  Was  there  an  accident?  " 

"Did  you  get  lost?" 

"  Did  the  ice-boat  sink?" 

It  was  Freddie  and  Flossie  who  asked  the 
last  two  questions,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bobbsey 
who  asked  the  others  as  Bert,  Nan,  Harry  and 
Dorothy  came  into  the  farmhouse.  Oh,  how  ': 
good  it  seemed  after  their  battle  in  the  dark- 
ness with  the  storm! 

"  The  ice-boat  couldn't  go  on  acccniat  of 
147 


148    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

the  snow,"  explained  Bert,  "  so  we  had  to 
leave  it  and  walk." 

"  And  we  got  lost,"  added  Nan.  "  Oh,  it 
was  terrible  out  there  on  the  frozen  lake ! " 

"  Indeed  it  was,"  agreed  Dorothy.  "  I 
never  had  such  a  time  in  all  my  life." 

"  It  was  too  bad,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey.  "  You 
children  should  have  come  in  the  sled  with 
us." 

"  Oh,  we  didn't  mind  it  much,"  spoke  Harry. 
"  We  had  a  good  lunch.  We  saw  the  light 
and  thought  it  was  some  farmhouse.  We 
didn't  think  it  was  Snow  Lodge.  But  we're 
glad  it  is,"  he  added  with  a  laugh. 

"  We  got  here  some  time  ago,"  said  Mr. 
Bobbsey.  "  The  farmer  had  the  fires  all  going 
finely,  and  it  was  as  warm  as  toast.  We  be- 
gan getting  things  to  rights,  but  when  it  got 
dark,  and  snowed,  and  you  children  weren't 
here,  we  all  got  worried." 

"  And  we  were  going  to  look  for  you,"  ad- 
'ded  Mrs.  Bobbsey.  "  Oh,  I  was  so  worried  I 
didn't  know  what  to  do ! " 

The  evening  was  spent  in  playing  a  few 
games,    and    in    talking    and    telling    stories. 


THE   SNOW   SLIDE 


149 


Everyone  was  too  tired  to  stay  up  long,  after 
the  day's  trip,  and  so  "  early  to  bed  "  was  the 
rule,  for  the  first  night  at  least. 

As  Bert  went  up  to  his  room  with  his  cousin 
Harry  he  looked  out  of  the  window.  It  was 
too  dark  to  see  much,  but  the  boy  could  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  snow  blowing  against  the  panes 
with  great  force. 

"Poor  Henry  Burdock!''  thought  Bert. 
"  H  it  wasn't  for  that  missing  money  he  and 
his  uncle  might  be  living  here  at  Snow  Lodge. 
I  wonder  where  Henry  is  now?  Maybe  off 
somewhere  in  the  woods,  lost — as  we  nearly 
were !  " 

The  thought  made  him  feel  sad.  Surely  it 
was  a  terrible  night  to  be  out  in  the  forest, 
amid  the  storm  and  darkness. 

"  I  wish  I  could  help  him,"  thought  Bert, 
but  he  did  not  see  how  he  could.  Mr.  Carford 
was  a  stern  old  man,  and  he  believed  his  nephew 
had  taken  the  money  that  was  missing. 

The  storm  raged  all  night,  and  part  of  the 
next  day.  Then  it  cleared  off,  leaving  a  great 
coating  of  white  in  the  woods,  and  over  the 
fields. 


150    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  No  skating  or  ice-boating  now,"  said  Bert, 
"  and  not  for  some  days.  We'll  have  to  wait 
for  a  thaw  and  another  freeze." 

"  But  we  can  take  walks  in  the  woods ;  can't 
we?"  asked  Nan.  "Would  you  like  that, 
Dorothy?" 

"  Indeed  I  would,"  was  the  answer. 

"Can't  we  come?"  asked  Freddie.  "Flos- 
sie and  I  have  rubber  boots." 

"  Yes,  you  may  come  for  a  little  way,"  said 
Bert.  "  We  won't  go  far.  Say,  Harry,  we 
ought  to  have  snowshoes  for  this  sort  of 
thing." 

"  That's  right,"  agreed  his  cousin.  "  I  saw 
a  picture  of  some,  but  I  don't  beheve  I  would 
know  how  to  make  them." 

"  I  made  some  once,  but  they  weren't  mucH 
good,"  admitted  Bert.  "  We'll  get  my  father 
to  show  us  how  some  day.  It  would  be  fun 
to  take  a  trip  on  them  over  the  snow." 

Well  wTapped  up,  the  young  folks  set  off 
through  the  woods.  Snap  trotting  along  with 
them,  barking  joyously.  All  about  Snow 
Lodge,  back  from  the  lake,  and  on  either  side, 
were  dense  woods,  and  under  the  trees  the 


THE   SNOW   SLIDE  151 

snow  was  not  as  deep  as  in  the  open  fields,  for 
the  branches  kept  part  of  it  off.  But  it  was 
deep  enough  to  make  walking  hard. 

"  We  can't  go  very  far  at  this  rate,"  said 
Nan,  as  she  and  Dorothy  struggled  on  through 
the  drifts. 

"  Let's  go  to  that  hill,  and  see  what  sort  of 
view  there  is,"  suggested  Harry. 

"  All  right,"  agreed  Bert. 

"  And  we  can  stop  there  and  eat  our  lunch." 
put  in  Freddie. 

"Our  lunch!"  exclaimed  Nan.  "We 
didn't  bring  any  lunch,  dearie !  " 

"  Flossie  and  I  did !  "  cried  "  the  little  fat 
fireman,"  as  his  papa  often  called  Freddie. 
"We  thought  we'd  get  hungry,  so  we  had 
Dinah  make  us  some  sandwiches,  and  give  us 
a  piece  of  cake." 

"  I'm  hungry  now,"  said  Flossie,  and  from 
under  her  cloak  she  drew  out  a  bundle,  which 
she  opened,  showing  a  rather  crumpled  sand- 
wich and  a  piece  of  cake. 

"  I'm  going  to  eat,  too,"  decided  Freddie, 
as  he  brought  out  his  lunch. 

"  Well,  I  declare ;  you  two  are  the  greatest 


152    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

ever ! "  cried  Bert.  "  But  it  was  a  good  idea 
all  the  same !  " 

"Yes,  I  could  eat  something  myself,"  ad- 
mitted Harry.  "  I  guess  this  air  makes  you 
hungry." 

"  We — we  haven't  got  enough  for  all  of  us — 
I  guess,"  said  Freddie,  looking  wistfully  at  his 
package. 

"  Don't  worry !  "  answered  Harry  with  a 
laugh.  "  I  won't  take  any,  Freddie.  I  can 
wait  until  we  get  home." 

Thereupon  the  two  smaller  twins  proceeded 
to  eat  the  lunch  they  had  brought,  doing  this 
while  trudging  through  the  snow  toward  the 
little  hill. 

They  reached  the  top,  and  stood  for  a  time 
looking  over  the  broad  snow-covered  expanse 
of  lake  and  woods.  Then  they  started  down. 
But  it  was  not  easy  work,  especially  for  Flossie 
and  Freddie,  so  the  whole  party  stopped  for  a 
rest  about  half  way. 

They  were  sitting  under  a  sheltering  tree, 
looking  at  some  flitting  snow-birds,  when  from 
behind  them  came  a  curious  sound.  Bert 
loolced  back,  and  leaping  to  his  feet,  cried : 


THE   SNOW   SLIDE 


153 


"  It's  a  snow  slide !  A  snow  slide !  It's 
coming  right  toward  us !  " 

Indeed  a  great  drift  of  the  white  snow  was 
sliding  down  the  side  of  the  hill  toward  the 
children.  A  great  white  ball  seemed  to  have 
started  it,  and  as  Harry  looked  up  he  gave  a 
cry  of  surprise. 

"I  saw  a  boy  up  there!"  he  said.  "He 
pushed  that  snowball  on  us !  '* 


CHAPTER  XVI 


LOST  IN  THE  WOODS 


"  Quick  ! "  cried  Bert,  as  he  looked  at  the 
swiftly-sliding  snow,  "get  close  to  the  tree — 
on  the  downward  side  of  it,  and  maybe  the 
drift  will  go  around  us.  Harry,  you  look  af- 
ter Freddie,  and  I'll  take  care  of  Flossie!" 

As  he  spoke  Bert  grabbed  up  his  little  sister 
and  hurried  closer  to  the  tree.  It  was  a  big 
pine,  and  they  had  been  sitting  tinder  its 
branches,  on  some  big  rocks,  as  the  slide 
started. 

"  What  shall  we  do?  "  cried  Nan.  "  Can't 
Dorothy  and  I  help?" 

"  Take  care  of  yourselves,"  answered  Bert. 
"  I  guess  it  will  split  at  the  tree  and  not  hurt 
us." 

The  snow  slide  had  started  at  the  top  of  the 
hill,  whether  from  some  snowball  a  boy  had 
made,  and  rolled  down,  or  from  some  other 
154 


LOST  IN   THE  WOODS  155 

cause,  Bert  did  not  stop  to  consider.  He  was 
too  anxious  to  get  his  little  brother  and  sister 
to  safety. 

The  snow  was  rather  soft,  and  just  right  for 
the  making  of  big  balls,  of  the  kind  that  had 
been  put  on  the  school  steps.  And,  as  it  con- 
tinued to  slide  down  the  hill,  the  mass  of  snow 
got  larger  and  larger,  until  it  was  big  enough 
to  frighten  even  older  persons  than  the  Bobb- 
sey  twins  and  their  cousins. 

Harry  had  reached  the  tree  with  Freddie  at 
the  same  time  that  Bert  came  to  the  protecting 
trunk  with  his  little  sister.  Nan  and  Dorothy 
also  were  struggling  toward  it. 

"  Form  in  line !  "  called  Bert.  "  In  a  long 
string  down  the  hill,  and  every  one  stand  right 
in  line  with  the  tree.  The  big  trunk  may  spHt 
the  snow  slide  in  two." 

He  and  Harry  took  their  positions  nearest 
the  trunk,  with  Flossie  and  Freddie  between 
them.  Nan  and  Dorothy  came  next.  Bert 
clasped  the  tree  trunk  with  both  arms,  and  told 
Harry  to  grasp  him  as  tightly  as  he  could. 

"  And  you  and  Flossie  hold  on  to  Harry, 
Freddie,"    Bert    directed.      "Nan,    you    and 


156    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

Dorothy  hold  on  to  the  Httle  ones.  Here  she 
comes ! " 

By  this  time  the  snowslide  had  reached  the 
tree,  and  the  mass  was  now  much  larger  than 
at  first.  Freddie  and  Flossie  felt  like -crying, 
but  they  were  brave  and  did  not.  It  was  an 
anxious  moment. 

Then  just  what  Bert  had  hoped  would  hap- 
pen came  to  pass.  The  snow  slide  was  split 
in  two  by  the  tree  trunk,  and  slid  to  either  side, 
leaving  the  Bobbsey  twins  and  their  cousins 
safe. 

"  Oh ! "  gasped  Nan. 

"  What  was  that  you  said  about  seeing  some- 
one up  there  on  top  of  the  hill?"  asked  Bert 
of  Harry,  a  little  later. 

"  I  did  see  someone  there  just  before  the 
snow  began  to  slide,  and  I'm.  almost  sure  I 
saw  him  roll  that  ball  down  that  started  the 
slide,"  answered  Harry. 

"  Is  that  so?     Could  you  see  his  face?" 

"  Not  very  well." 

"Never  mind.  You  don't  know  Danny 
Rugg,  anyhow." 

"  Oh,    Bert !     Do  you  think  Danny  could 


LOST   IN   THE   WOODS 


157 


have  done  such  a  thing  as  that  ?  '*  asked  Nan, 
in  shocked  tones. 

"  He  might ;  not  thinking  how  dangerous 
it  would  be,"  answered  her  brother.  "  I'm  go- 
ing up  there  and  take  a  look." 

"What  for?"  asked  Dorothy. 

"  To  see  if  I  can  find  any  marks  in  the  snow. 
If  someone  was  up  there  making  a  big  snow 
ball  to  roll  down  on  us  there  will  be  some 
marks  of  it.  And  if  it  was  Danny  Rugg  I'll 
have  something  to  say  to  him." 

"  He  wouldn't  be  there  now,  probably,"  said 
Harry.  "  But  do  you  think  it  would  be  safe 
to  go  up  the  side  of  the  hill?  " 

"  Yes,  it  would,  by  keeping  right  in  the  path 
of  where  the  snow  slide  came  down,"  answered 
Bert.  "  There's  hardly  any  more  snow  to 
come  down,  now." 

"  Then  I'll  go  with  you,"  said  Harry. 

Leaving  the  two  girls,  with  Flossie  and 
Freddie,  at  the  tree,  Bert  and  Harry  made  their 
way  up  to  the  top  of  the  slope.  There  they 
saw  the  signs  of  where  some  one — a  boy  to 
judge  by  the  marks  of  his  shoes— had  tramped 
about,  rolling  a  big  snowball. 


158    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"That's  what  happened,"  decided  Bert. 
"Danny  Rugg,  or  some  other  mean  chap, 
started  that  sHde  toward  us.  And  I  think  it 
must  have  been  Danny.  He's  up  around  here 
somewhere,  and  he's  the  only  one  who  would 
have  a  grudge  against  me.'' 

Several  days  went  by  at  the  Lodge,  and  they 
were  very  busy  ones.  As  soon  as  breakfast 
was  over  the  boys  and  girls  would  go  for  a 
walk,  or  would  coast  down  hill  on  a  slope  not 
far  away  from  the  old  farmhouse.  Freddie 
and  Flossie  were  not  allowed  to  go  very  far 
away,  as  it  was  hard  traveling.  But  they  had 
good  times  around  the  house,  and  out  in  the 
old  barn. 

Bert  and  Harry  made  snowshoes  out  of  bar- 
rel staves,  fastening  them  to  their  feet  with 
straps.  They  managed  to  Vvalk  fairly  well  on 
the  crust. 

The  lake  was  still  covered  with  a  coating  of 
snow,  and  there  was  no  skating,  nor  could  the 
ice-boat  be  used.  Mr.  Bobbsey,  with  Harry 
and  Bert,  took  the  team  of  horses  one  after- 
noon and  went  after  the  Ice  Bird.  They  found 
it  where  Bert  had  left  it  the  night  of  the  storm, 


LOST   IN   THE  WOODS  159 

and  hitching  the  horses  to  it,  pulled  the  craft 
to  the  dock  in  front  of  Snow  Lodge. 

"  It  will  be  all  ready  for  us  when  the  snow 
is  gone,"  said  Bert. 

The  nights  in  Snow  Lodge  were  filled  with 
fun.  Mr.  Bobbsey  had  bought  a  barrel  of 
apples,  and  when  the  family  gathered  about 
the  fireplace  there  were  put  to  roast  in  the 
heat  of  the  glowing  embers. 

Corn  was  popped,  and  then  it  was  eaten, 
with  salt  and  butter  on,  or  with  melted  sugar 
poured  over  it.  Sometimes  they  would  make 
candy,  and  once,  when  they  did  this,  a  funny 
thing  happened. 

Bert,  Nan,  Flossie  and  Freddie,  with  the 
two  cousins,  had  been  out  in  the  kitchen  mak- 
ing a  panful  of  the  sweets.  I  must  say  that 
Dinah  did  the  most  work,  but  the  children 
always  declared  that  they  made  the  candy. 
Anyhow,  Dinah  always  washed  up  the  pans 
and  dishes  afterward. 

"  Now  we'll  set  it  out  on  the  back  steps  to  ^ 
cool,"  said  Nan,  "  and  then  we'll  pull  it  into 
sticks." 

The  candy  was  soon  in  the  condition  for 


l6o    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  pulling,"  and,  putting  butter  on  their  fingers, 
so  the  sweet  stuff  would  not  stick  to  them,  the 
children  began  their  fun. 

The  more  they  pulled  the  candy  the  harder 
it  got,  and  the  lighter  in  color.  Flossie  and 
Freddie  soon  tired  of  the  work,  that  was  hard 
on  their  little  arms,  and  Nan  set  their  rolls  of 
candy  outside  again  to  cool,  ready  for  eating. 

All  at  once  a  great  howling  was  heard  at 
the  back  stoop,  and  Flossie  cried : 

^'  Oh,  someone  is  taking  my  candy !  " 

Bert  laid  the  lump  he  was  pulling  down  on 
the  table,  and  rushed  to  the  kitchen  door.  As 
he  looked  out  he  laughed. 

"  Oh,  look!  "  he  cried.  "  Snap  tried  to  eat 
your  candy,  Freddie,  and  it's  stuck  to  his  jaws. 
He  can't  get  his  mouth  open ! " 

This  was  just  what  had  happened.  Snap, 
playing  around  outside,  had  smelled  the  cool- 
ing candy.  He  was  fond  of  sweets  and  in  a 
moment  had  bitten  on  a  big  chunk.  In  an 
instant  his  jaws  seemed  glued  together,  and 
he  set  up  a  howl  of  pain  and  surprise. 

"  Oh,  my  lovely  candy ! "  cried  Freddie. 
^'You  bad   Snap!" 


LOST   IN   THE  WOODS  i6r 

"  I  guess  Snap  is  punished  enough/'  said 
Mrs.  Bobbsey,  coming  to  the  kitchen  to  find 
out  what  the  trouble  was.  And  the  poor  dog 
was.  He  would  not  get  his  jaws  open  for 
some  time,  so  sticky  was  the  candy,  and  finally 
Bert  had  to  put  his  pet's  mouth  in  warm 
water,  holding  it  there  until  the  candy  soft- 
ened. Then  Snap  could  open  his  jaws,  and 
get  rid  of  the  rest  of  the  sweet  stuff  in  his 
mouth.  He  looked  very  much  surprised  at 
what  had  happened. 

Freddie  was  given  more  candy  to  pull,  and 
this  time  he  set  the  pan  in  which  he  put  it 
up  high  where  no  dog  could  get  at  it. 

With  the  roasting  of  apples,  making  of  pop- 
corn and  pulling  of  candy,  many  pleasant  even- 
ings were  spent.  Then  came  a  thaw,  and 
some  rain  that  carried  off  most  of  the  snow. 
A  freeze  followed,  and  the  lake  was  frozen 
over  solidly. 

"  Now  for  skates  and  our  ice-boat ! "  cried 
Bert,  and  the  fun  started  as  soon  as  the  lake 
was  safe.  The  children  had  many  good  times, 
often  going  up  to  the  nearest  village  in  the  ice- 
boat. 


l62    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

Sometimes  Bert  had  races  with  other  ice- 
boats, and  occasionally  he  won  even  against 
larger  craft  that  were  boughten,  instead  of 
being  home-made.  But  almost  as  often  the 
Ice  Bird  came  in  last.  But  Bert  and  the  others 
did  not  care.    They  were  having  a  good  time. 

Bert  met  Danny  Rugg  in  the  woods  one 
day,  and  spoke  to  him  about  the  snow  slide. 
Danny  said  he  had  had  nothing  to  do  with  it, 
hut  Bert  did  not  believe  the  bully. 

Then  came  a  spell  of  fine,  warm  weather, 
and  as  there  w^as  no  snow  on  the  ground,  Bert, 
Nan,  Dorothy  and  Harry  decided  ^  take  a 
long  walk  one  afternoon.  Nan  wanted  to  get 
some  views  with  her  new  camera. 

So  interested  did  they  all  become  that  they 
never  noticed  how  late  it  was,  nor  how  far 
they  had  come. 

"  Oh,  we  must  turn  back ! "  cried  Nan, 
when  she  did  realize  that  it  would  soon  be 
dark.  "  We're  a  good  way  from  Snow 
Lodge." 

"  Oh,  we  can  easily  get  back,"  declared 
Bert.    "  I  know  the  path." 

But  though  Bert  might  know  the  path  they; 


LOST   IN   THE  WOODS  iflg 

had  come  by  daylight,  it  was  quite  different 
to  find  it  after  dark.  However,  he  led  the 
way,  certain  thafi  he  was  going  right.  But 
when  they  had  gone  on  for  some  distance,  and 
saw  no  familiar  landmarks,  Nan  stopped  and 
asked : 

"Are  you  sure  this  is  the  right  path, 
Bert?  I  don't  remember  passing  any  of  these 
rocks,"  and  she  pointed  to  a  group  of  them 
under  some  trees. 

''  I  don't,  either,"  said  Dorothy. 

"  Well,  maybe  this  path  leads  into  the  right 
one,"  suggested  Harry.  "Let's  keep  on  a  lit- 
tle farther." 

There  seemed  to  be  nothing  else  to  do,  so 
forward  they  went.  Then  a  few  flakes  of 
snow  began  to  fall,  and  they  rapidly  increased 
until  the  air  was  white  with  them.  It  made 
the  scene  a  little  lighter,  but  it  caused  Bert 
and  the  others  to  worry  a  good  deal. 

"  I  hope  this  isn't  going  to  be  much  of  a 
storm,"  said  Bert  in  a  low  voice  to  Harry. 

"Why  not?  It  would  make  good  sleigh 
riding." 

"  Yes,  but  it's  no  fun  to  be  in  the  w^oods 


l64    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

when  it  storms;  especially  at  night  and  when 
you're — lost." 

*"  Lost !  "  cried  Harry.    "  Are  we  lost  ?  " 

"  I'm  afraid  so,"  answered  Bert,  solemnly. 
"  I  haven't  seen  anything  that  looked  like  the 
path  we  came  over  for  a  long  time.  I  guess 
we're  lost,  all  right." 

"Oh!     Oh!"  cried  Dorothy. 

**Will  we  have  to  stay  out  in  the  woods  all 
night?"  Nan  wanted  to  know. 

Bert  shook  his  head  sadly. 

"  I'm  afraid  so,"  he  said. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

HENRY   BURDOCK 

With  the  wind  blowing  about  them,  whirl- 
ing the  snowflakes  into  their  faces,  and  with 
night  fast  coming  on,  the  four  young  folks 
stood  close  together,  looking  at  one  another. 
Bert's  solemn  words  had  filled  the  hearts  of 
the  others  with  fear.  Then  Harry,  sturdy 
country  boy  that  he  was,  exclaimed : 

"  Oh,  don't  let's  give  up  so  easily,  Bert. 
Many  a  time  I've  been  off  in  the  woods,  and 
thought  I  was  lost,  when  a  little  later,  I'd 
make  a  turn  and  be  on  the  road  home.  Maybe 
we  can  do  that  now." 

"  Oh,  I  do  hope  so !  "  murmured  Dorothy. 

"  Let's  try ! "  exclaimed  Nan,  taking  hold 
of  her  brother's  arm. 

"  Wait    a    minute ! "    exclaimed    Bert,    as 
Harry  and  Dorothy  were  about  to  start  off. 
"Do  you  know  where  you're  going?" 
165 


l66    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  We're  going  back  that  way/'  declared 
Harry,  pointing  off  to  the  left. 

"Why,  that  way?"  asked  Bert. 

"  I  think  that's  the  way  to  Snow  Lodge," 
was  the  answer.  "  We've  tried  lots  of  other 
ways,  and  haven't  struck  the  right  one,  so 
it  can't  do  any  harm  to  go  a  new  way." 

'*  Now  just  hold  on,"  advised  Bert.  "  1 
don't  mean  to  say  that  I  know  more  than  you 
about  it,  Harry,  but  it  does  seem  to  me  that 
it  won't  do  any  good  to  wander  off  that  way, 
especially  if  you're  not  sure  it's  the  right  path. 
We'll  only  get  more  lost  than  we  are,  if  that's 
possible." 

'*  Well,  maybe  you're  right,"  admitted 
Harry.  "But  we  can't  stay  here  all  night, 
that's  sure." 

"  Of  course  not,"  added  Dorothy,  looking 
around  with  a  shiver.  The  snow  seemed  to  be 
coming  down  harder  than  ever  and  the  cold 
wind  blew  with  greater  force. 

"We  may  have  to  stay  here,"  said  Bert. 
"  But  don't  let  that  scare  you,"  he  said 
quickly,  as  he  saw  Dorothy  and  his  sister 
clutch  at  each  other  and  turn  pale.    "  We  can 


HENRY  BURDOCK  167 

build  a  sort  of  shelter  that  will  keep  us  warm, 
and  there  won't  be  any  danger  of  freezing." 

"No,  but  how  about  starving?"  asked 
Harry.     "  I'm  real  hungry  now." 

"  We  had  a  good  dinner,"  observed  Doro- 
thy. "  If  we  don't  get  anything  more  to  eat 
until  morning  I  guess  we  can  stand  it.  But  I 
do  hope  we  can  find  some  sort  of  shelter." 

"  We'll  have  to  make  one,  I  guess,"  said 
Nan,  looking  about  her. 

"  That's  right,"  cried  Bert.  "  It's  the  only 
way.  If  we  go  wandering  about,  looking  for 
a  shelter,  we  may  get  into  trouble.  We'll 
make  one  of  our  own.  There's  a  good  place, 
over  by  that  clump  of  trees.  We  can  cut  down 
som.e  branches,  stand  them  up  around  the  trees 
and  make  a  sort  of  tent.  Then,  when  the 
snow  has  covered  it,  we'll  be  real  warm." 

"  Well,  let's  start  building  that  snow  tent," 
proposed  Harry.  "  It  will  give  us  something 
to  do,  and  moving  about  is  warmer  than  stand- 
ing still.     I  know  that  much,  anyhow." 

"  Yes,  it  is,"  agreed  Bert.  ''  Come  on,  girls. 
Harry  and  I  will  cut  the  branches  and  you  can 
stack  them  up." 


l68    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

Bert  led  the  way  to  where  three  trees  grew 
close  together  in  a  sort  of  triangle.  The  trees 
had  low  branches  and  it  would  be  an  easy 
matter  to  stand  other  branches  up  against 
them,  one  end  on  the  ground,  and  so  make  a 
fairly  good  shelter. 

With  their  pocket-knives  Bert  and  Harry 
began  cutting  branches  from  the  evergreen 
trees  that  grew  all  about.  As  fast  as  they 
were  cut  the  girls  took  them,  and  piled  them 
up  as  best  they  could.  All  the  while  the  wind 
blew  the  falling  snow  about,  and  it  became 
darker. 

"  Oh,  if  we  only  had  some  sort  of  a  fire !  " 
exclaimed  Nan. 

"  A  fire?  "  said  her  brother. 

"That's  so,"  agreed  Dorothy.  "It  would 
not  be  so  lonesome  then,  and  it  would  scare 
away — the  bears !  "  and  she  looked  over  her 
shoulder  in  some  fear. 

"  Bears !  "  cried  Bert.  "  There  aren't  any 
within  a  a  hundred  miles,  unless  they're  tame 
ones.  But  we  might  as  well  have  a  fire.  I 
never  thought  of  that.  I've  got  a  box  of 
matches.     Harry,  if  you'll  gather  wood,  and 


HENRY   BURDOCK  169 

make  the  fire,  I'll  keep  on  cutting  branches. 
We've  got  almost  enough,  anyhow." 

"Sure,  I  will!"  said  the  other  boy,  and 
soon  he  had  scraped  away  the  snow  from  a 
spot  on  the  ground,  and  had  piled  some  sticks 
on  it.  He  managed  to  find  some  dry  twigs 
and  leaves  in  a  hollow  stump,  and  these  served 
to  start  a  blaze.  The  wood  was  rather  wet, 
and  it  smoked  a  good  deal,  but  soon  some  of 
the  fagots  had  caught  and  there  was  a  cheer- 
ful fire  reflecting  redly  on  the  white  snow  that 
was  falling  faster  than  ever. 

"  That's  something  like ! "  cried  Bert,  com- 
ing over  to  the  blaze  to  warm  his  cold  fingers. 
"We'll  get  a  pile  of  wood  and  keep  the  fire 
going  all  night.  Then,  if  any  of  our  folks 
come  looking  for  us,  they  can  see  it." 

Harry,  who  had  just  come  up  with  an  arm- 
ful of  wood,  plunged  his  hands  into  his  pock- 
ets to  warm  them.  The  next  moment  he  ut- 
tered a  joyful  cry,  and  drew  out  two  small 
packages. 

"  Look !  "  he  cried.     "  Here's  our  supper ! '' 

"  Supper?  "  asked  Bert,  slowly.  "  What  do 
you  mean?" 


I70    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  It's  chocolate  candy,"  went  on  Harry.   "  I 
forgot  I  had  it,  but  it's  fine  stuff  when  you're 
hungry.     Lots  of  travelers  use  it  when  theyi 
can't  get  anything  else  to  eat.     Here,  I'll  di-* 
vide  it,  and  we'll  imagine  we're  having  a  fine 
feast.'' 

He  was  about  to  do  this  when  Bert  sud- 
denly exclaimed : 

"  Wait  a  minute !  I  have  a  better  plan  than 
that  if  I  can  only  find  a  tin  can.  Everybody 
look  for  one.  There  may  have  been  picnickers 
here  during  the  summer,  and  they  may  have 
left  a  lot  of  tin  cans." 

"But  what  do  you  want  of  one?"  asked 
Nan. 

"  I'll  tell  you  if  I  find  one,"  said  her  brother. 
"  If  I  told  you  now,  and  we  didn't  pick  up  one, 
you'd  be  disappointed." 

But  they  were  not  to  be,  for  a  little  later 
Harry,  kicking  about  in  the  snow,  turned  up 
a  rusty  tin  can.  ] 

"That's  it!"  cried  Bert.     "Now  we'll  pu'^ 
some  snow  in  it,  and  melt  it  over  the  fire. 
That  will  give  us  water,  and  when  it  boils  we'll 
be  sure  the  can  is  clean.    Then  we'll  melt  more 


HENRY   BURDOCK  171 

snow  and  have  hot  chocolate.  We'll  dissolve 
the  chocolate  candy  in  the  water,  Harry,  and 
i  drink  it.  That  will  be  something  hot  for  us, 
and  better  than  if  we  ate  the  cold  candy.  I've 
got  a  folding  drinking  cup  we  can  use." 

"  Say,  that's  a  fine  idea !  "  cried  Dorothy. 
"  Bert,  you're  wonderful." 

"Oh,  no,  the  idea  just  popped  into  my 
head,"  he  replied. 

The  can,  with  some  snow  in  it,  was  soon 
on  the  fire,  and  in  a  little  while  steam  arising 
from  it  told  that  the  water,  formed  from  the 
melting  snow,  was  boiling.  They  rinsed  the 
can  out  carefully,  made  more  hot  water,  and 
then  put  in  the  chocolate  candy,  saving  half 
for  another  time. 

Nan  and  Dorothy  took  turns  stirring  it  with 
a  clean  stick  until  the  mixture  was  foamy  and 
hot.  Then  it  was  passed  around  in  the  single 
drinking  cup. 

^  "  Oh,  but  I  feel  so  much  better  now,"  sighed 
Nan,  after  taking  her  share.  "  So  warm  and 
comfortable ! " 

"  So  do  I ! "  exclaimed  Dorothy,  and  the 
boys  admitted  that  the  drink  of  chocolate  was 


172    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

very  good,  even  though  it  had  no  milk  in  it. 

Then  they  finished  making  the  shelter, 
brought  up  more  wood  for  the  night,  and 
went  in  the  little  snow-tent.  Though  it  was 
only  partly  covered  with  a  coating  of  white 
flakes,  it  w^as  already  warm  and  cozy,  and  they 
knew  that  they  were  in  no  danger  of  freezing. 

As  much  of  the  snow  as  possible  was 
scraped  away  from  the  ground  inside,  and 
thick  hemlock  branches  were  laid  down  for  a 
sort  of  carpet.  Then,  with  the  cheerful  fire 
going  outside,  the  four  young  people  prepared 
to  spend  the  night.  That  it  would  be  lone- 
some they  well  knew,  but  they  hoped  Mr. 
Bobbsey  would  come  and  find  them,  perhaps 
with  a  searching  party. 

The  warm  chocolate,  the  w^armth  of  the  fire, 
the  effect  of  the  wind,  w^eariness  of  the  long 
walk,  and  the  work  of  making  a  shelter,  all 
combined  to  make  the  boys  and  girls  sleepy  in 
spite  of  their  strange  situation.  First  one  and 
then  the  other  would  nod  off,  to  awake  w^ith  a 
start,  until  finally  they  were  all  asleep.         W 

How  long  he  had  been  slumbering  thus,  in 
the  little  snow-tent,  Bert  did  not  know.     He 


••hello!"    called   the    man    to   BERT.       "WHO   ARE   YOU?" 
J^  Bobbsey  T-witis  at  Snoiv  Lodgs.  — Pcig^  1*^^ 


HENRY   BURDOCK 


173 


suddenly  awoke  with  a  start,  and  listened. 
Yes,  he  heard  something!  The  sound  of  some- 
one tramping  through  the  woods.  A  heavy 
body  forcing  its  way  through  the  bushes! 

At  first  Bert's  heart  beat  rapidly,  and  he 
thought  of  wild  animals.  Then  he  realized 
that  none  was  near  Snow  Lodge.  He  glanced 
about.  The  campfire  was  burning  only  dimly, 
and  by  the  light  of  it,  as  it  came  in  through 
the  opening  of  the  shelter,  the  boy  could  see 
the  others  sleeping,  curled  up  on  the  soft 
branches. 

The  sound  of  someone  approaching  sounded 
louder.  Bert  looked  about  for  some  sort  of 
weapon.  There  was  none  in  the  tent.  Then 
he  almost  laughed  at  himself. 

"  How  silly !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Of  course 
it's  father,  or  someone  looking  for  us.  I'll  give 
a  call." 

He  crawled  to  the  edge  of  the  shelter, 
looked  out,  and  raised  his  voice  in  a  shout: 

"  Hello  there !  Here  we  are !  Father,  is 
that  you?" 

Those  inside  the  little  snow-covered  tent 
awoke  with  a  start.     Bert  tossed  some  light 


174    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

wood  on  the  fire  and  it  blazed  up  brighttyo 
By  its  glow  the  boy  saw,  coming  into  the  circle 
of  light,  a  man  dressed  in  thick,  heavy  gar- 
ments, with  a  coonskin  cap  on  his  head.  Over 
his  shoulder  was  a  gun,  and  he  had  some  rab- 
bits and  birds  slung  at  his  back. 

"  Hello ! "  called  the  man  to  Bert,  who  was 
now  outside  the  little  tent.    *' Who  are  you?'* 

'*  Bert  Bobbsey,"  was  the  answer.  "  My 
sister  and  cousins  are  here.  We  got  lost  and 
made  this  shelter.    Were  you  looking  for  us  ?  '* 

"  Well,  not  exactly,"  said  the  hunter  slowly, 
as  he  leaned  on  his  gun,  and  looked  at  the 
fire,  then  at  Bert  and  next  on  Nan,  Dorothy 
and  Harry,  who  by  this  time  had  come  from 
the  tent.  "  Not  exactly,  but  maybe  it's  a  good 
thing  I  found  you.  The  storm  is  growing 
iworse.     What  did  you  say  your  name  was?" 

'*Bert  Bobbsey." 

The  hunter  started. 

"Any  relation  to  Mr.  Richard  Bobbsey?" 
\  ae  asked. 
^     "  He's  my  father." 

"  You  don't  say  so !  Well,  I'm  glad  to  hear 
that.     It  will  give  me  a  chance  to  do  him  a 


HENRY   BURDOCK  175 

good  turn.  I'm  Henry  Burdock,"  the  hunter 
went  on. 

It  was  the  turn  of  Bert  and  Nan  to  be  sur- 
prised. 

"Henry  Burdock!"  repeated  Bert.  "Are 
you  the  nephew  of  Mr.  Carford?" 

"  Yes/'  was  the  low  reply.  "  Do  you  know 
him?" 

"  Why,  we're  stopping  at  his  place — Snow 
Lodge,"  said  Bert.  "  We  got  lost  coming 
from  there  to  take  some  pictures.  Oh,  Mr. 
Burdock,  can  you  take  us  back  there?" 

"  Snow  Lodge — Snow  Lodge,"  said  the 
hunter  slowly.  His  voice  was  sad,  as  though 
the  place  had  bitter  memories  for  him. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

SNOWBALLS 

"  Are  we  very  far  from  Snow  Lodge  ?  " 
asked  Nan,  after  a  pause.  "  We  didn't  think 
we  would  have  any  trouble  getting  back  to  it." 

"You're  about  three  miles  away,  and  the 
path  is  hard  to  find  in  the  darkness  and  storm," 
said  the  young  hunter  slowly.  "  Let  me  think 
what  is  best  to  do." 

He  remained  leaning  on  his  gun,  staring 
into  the  fire,  which  was  now  burning  brightly. 
Then  he  spoke  again. 

"  You  youngsters  certainly  have  made  this 
a  fine  shelter.  I  couldn't  have  done  it  much 
better  myself.  It's  just  the  thing  to  keep  out 
the  cold  wind." 

"  We  thought  we'd  have  to  stay  here  all 
night,"  said  Bert.  "  We  made  some  hot 
chocolate.  We've  got  a  little  left.  Will  you 
take  some?  " 

176 


SNOWBALLS  177 

"  No,  thank  you,"  replied  Henry  Burdock. 
"  I  generally  carry  a  little  to  eat  with  me,  and 
I  just  finished  my  night  lunch.  I  had  some 
cold  coffee  that  I  warmed  up,  too.  I'm  sorry, 
but  if  I  had  known  I  was  going  to  meet  you 
folks  I'd  have  saved  some." 

"  Oh,  we're  all  right,"  declared  Harry. 
"  We  can  finish  our  chocolate,  and  then  per- 
haps you  can  show  us  the  way  back  to  Snow 
Lodge." 

"  Yes,"  spoke  Henry  Burdock,  slowly,  "  I 
could  do  that.  I  know  the  way  well  enough. 
But  it's  a  hard  path  to  travel  in  the  storm,  and 
after  dark.  I  don't  believe  you  girls  could 
manage  it,"  and  he  looked  at  Nan  and  Doro- 
thy. 

"  Oh,  yes,  we  could ! "  Nan  exclaimed. 
"  We've  had  a  good  rest,  and  papa  and 
mamma  will  be  so  anxious  about  us ! " 

*'  I'd  like  first  rate  to  take  you  all  home," 
said  the  hunter,  "but  I  think  I  have  a  better 
plan.  My  shack  isn't  far  from  here.  I  could 
take  you  all  there,  and  you  could  stay  until 
morning.  Then  I  could  go  to  Snow  Lodge 
and  tell  them  you  were  all  right.    When  it  was 


1^8    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

daylight  they  could  come  for  you  in  the  sled/* 

"  Maybe  that  would  be  best,"  agreed  Bert 

"  But  won't  it  be  too  much  of  a  trip  for 
you?  "  asked  Nan. 

"  No,  I'm  used  to  roaming  about  the 
woods,"  said  Mr.  Carford's  nephew,  with  a 
sad  smile.  ''  A  few  miles  more  or  less  won't 
make  any  difference,  and  I  know  every  inch 
of  this  forest.  I've  had  to,"  he  added.  "  It's 
the  only  home  I  have  now." 

"  Yes,  we — we  heard  about  you,"  said  Nan 
quickly,  and  there  was  kindness  in  her  voice. 
"  It's  too  bad  your  uncle  acted  as  he  did,  and 
sent  you  away." 

"  Well,  he  thought  he  was  doing  right," 
said  Henry.  "  I  don't  know  as  I  blame  him. 
Your  father,  though,  he  stuck  to  me,  and  I'm 
glad  I  can  do  his  children  a  favor." 

"  Indeed,  it  seems  too  much  to  ask,"  spoke 
Dorothy,  for  Nan  had  whispered  to  her  and 
Harry  the  details  of  the  story  of  the  missing 
money  which  Henry  Burdock  was  suspected 
of  taking. 

"  I  don't  mind,"  said  the  hunter.  "  I  didn't 
do  much  walking  to-day.    Game  was  not  very 


SNOWBALLS  179 

plentiful,  though  I  got  some.  Now  I'll  lead 
you  to  my  shack.  It's  small,  but  it's  warm, 
and  you  can  be  comfortable  there  until  day- 
light. I  was  walking  through  the  woods,  when 
I  saw  the  flicker  of  your  fire,  and  came  up  to 
see  what  it  was." 

*'  And  I  couldn't  imagine  what  it  was  I 
heard  when  I  woke  up,"  said  Bert.  "  I  was 
a  bit  frightened  at  first,"  he  admitted,  with  a 
smile. 

"  I  don't  blame  you,"  said  Henry.  "  And, 
since  we  are  talking  about  Snow  Lodge,  I 
want  to  say  that  I  never  took  that  money.  It 
was  on  the  m.antel  in  the  living  room,  just  as 
my  uncle  says  it  was,  for  I  saw  it.  I  don't 
deny  but  what  I  would  have  been  glad  to  have 
it,  for  I  had  been  foolish,  and  I  owed  more 
than  I  could  pay.  But  I  never  took  that  roll 
of  bills." 

"  Have  you  any  idea  who  did  ?  "  asked  Bert. 

"  Not  in  the  least.     And  as  I  was  the  only 
one  in  the  house,  besides  my  uncle,  of  course, 
it  made  it  look  as  if  I  had  taken  it,  especially 
as  the  money  totally  disappeared.    But  I  never 
laid  a  hand  on  it." 


l8o    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  It  is  too  bad,"  said  Bert.  "  Maybe  some 
day  the  bills  will  be  found  and  you  will  be 
cleared." 

"  I  hope  so,"  sighed  Henry.  "  But  it's  been 
some  years  now,  and  my  uncle  has  considered 
me  a  thief  all  that  while.  I've  gotten  so  I 
don't  much  care  any  more.  Living  in  the 
woods  makes  you  sort  of  that  way.  You  do 
a  lot  of  thinking. 

"  But  there !  "  exclaimed  the  young  hunter, 
straightening  up.  "This  isn't  doing  you  chil- 
dren any  good.  I'd  better  be  taking  you  to 
my  place  instead  of  staying  here.  Have  you 
anything  to  carry?  " 

"  My  camera— that's  all,"  said  Nan.  "  I'll 
get  it,"  and  she  darted  into  the  shelter  after 
it.  Then,  when  the  fire  had  been  extinguished 
so  there  would  be  no  danger  of  it  spreading, 
the  young  folks  set  off  after  Henry  Burdock, 
who  led  the  way.  He  seemed  to  know  it,  even 
in  the  darkness,  but  of  course  the  white  snow 
on  the  ground  made  the  path  rather  easy  to 
pick  out. 

In  a  short  time  they  came  to  a  log  cabin, 
which  was  the  "  shack  "  the  hunter  had  men- 


SNOWBALLS  l8l 

tioned.  It  was  the  work  of  but  a  few  minutes 
to  open  it,  and  blow  into  flames  the  fire  that 
was  smouldering  on  the  hearth.  A  lamp  had 
been  lighted  and  the  place  was  warm  and  cozy 
enough  for  anyone. 

"Oh,  this  is  fine!"  cried  Nan.  "If  the 
folks  knew  we  were  here  we  would  be  all 
right,  and  not  worry." 

"  They'll  soon  know  it,"  said  Mr.  Burdock. 
"  I'm  going  to  set  off  at  once  for  Snow  Lodge 
Will  you  be  afraid  to  stay  here?" 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it! "  exclaimed  Bert,  and  the 
others  agreed  with  him. 

Leaving  the  game  he  had  shot,  Henry  Bur- 
dock started  off  again  through  the  storm- 
swept  woods,  while  Bert  and  the  others  made 
themselves  at  home  in  the  cabin.  Mr.  Bur- 
dock had  showed  them  where  he  kept  his  food, 
and  the  boys  and  girls  enjoyed  a  midnight 
lunch,  for  it  was  now  after  twelve  o'clock. 

It  was  about  three  in  the  morning  when 
the  hunter  came  back,  to  find  his  young  friends 
asleep.  He  let  himself  in  quietly,  and  not 
until  daylight,  when  they  awoke,  did  he  tell 
them  of  his  trip. 


l82    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

He  had  reached  Snow  Lodge  safely,  there 
to  find  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bobbsey  almost  dis- 
tracted over  the  absence  of  the  children.  Mr. 
Bobbsey  and  Sam  had  searched  as  well  as  they 
could,  and  they  were  just  going  off  to  arouse 
some  nearby  farmers  and  make  a  more  thor- 
ough hunt  when  Mr.  Burdock  came  in. 

That  his  news  was  welcome  need  not  be 
said,  and  Mrs.  Bobbsey  wept  for  joy  when  she 
knew  that  her  children  and  the  others  were 
safe.  They  wanted  the  young  hunter  to  re- 
main until  daylight,  and  go  back  with  them  in 
the  sled,  btit  he  said  he  would  rather  go  on  to 
his  cabin  now.  Perhaps  he  did  not  feel  that 
he  should  remain  in  Snow  Lodge,  from  where 
his  uncle  had  driven  him  in  anger  years  before. 

Mr.  Burdock  gave  Mr.  Bobbsey  directions 
how  to  find  the  cabin,  and,  as  soon  as  the  first 
streak  of  daylight  showed,  the  lumber  mer- 
chant and  Sam  set  off  in  the  big  sled.  Flossie 
and  Freddie  were  not  aw^ake,  or  they  might 
have  been  taken  along. 

And  a  little  later  Bert,  Nan,  Dorothy  and 
Harry  were  safe  in  Snow  Lodge  once  more. 

For  some  days  after  this  the  weather  was 


SNOWBALLS  183 

Stormy,  so  that  the  young  folks  could  not  go 
far  from  Snow  Lodge.  But  they  managed  to 
have  good  times  indoors,  or  out  in  the  big 
barn. 

Then  came  another  thaw,  and  a  freeze  fol- 
lowed some  days  later,  making  good  skating. 
One  afternoon  Bert  proposed  to  Harry  that 
they  go  for  a  trip  on  the  ice-boat. 

"  But  not  too  far,"  cautioned  his  father. 
"  We  don't  want  you  to  get  lost  again." 

"  No,  we'll  only  go  a  mile  or  so,"  said  Bert. 
"Want  to  come.  Nan  and  Dorothy?" 

The  girls  did,  and  so,  also,  did  Flossie  and 
Freddie,  but  their  mother  would  not  allow  this. 
So  Freddie  got  out  his  engine  and  played  fire- 
man, while  his  little  sister  put  her  walking  and 
talking  doll  through  her  performance.  Snap, 
the  trick  dog,  with  many  barks,  raced  off  wath 
Bert  and  the  older  children. 

The  Ice  Bird  sailed  well  that  day,  skimming 
over  the  frozen  lake  at  a  fast  pace,  and  the 
children  greatly  enjoyed  the  sport.  Snap  sat 
on  with  the  others,  looking  as  though  he  liked 
it  as  well  as  anyone. 

They  sailed  up  the  lake  for  some  distance 


i84    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

and  then  got  out  to  look  for  a  cave  which 
Bert  had  heard  was  a  short  distance  from 
shore.  They  did  not  find  it  at  once,  but  while 
they  were  climbing  up  a  little  hill,  thinking 
the  cave  might  be  somewhere  near  it,  Harry 
was  suddenly  startled  to  receive  a  snowball  on 
his  ear. 

"  Ouch !  "  he  cried.     "  Who  threw  that?  " 

They  all  stopped  and  looked  around.  No 
one  was  in  sight. 

"  Maybe  it  fell  off  a  tree,''  suggested  Nan. 

"  It  came  too  hard  for  that,"  declared 
Harry.     "  It  was  thrown." 

They  looked  about  again,  but,  seeing  no 
one,  went  on.  Then,  suddenly  there  came  an- 
other ball,  and  Dorothy  cried : 

"  There,  that  came  out  of  a  tree,  for  I  saw 
it.     Right  over  there,"  and  she  pointed. 

"Then  if  it  came  out  of  a  tree  someone  is 
up  the  tree ! "  declared  Bert,  "  and  I'm  going 
to  see  who  it  is." 

As  he  rushed  forward  g  snowball  struck 
him  full  in  the  face. 


CHAPTER   XIX 


SNAP  IS  GONE 


Dorothy  screamed,  and  turned  h&dk  toward 
Nan  when  she  saw  Bert  struck  with  the  snow- 
ball.    But  plucky  Nan  kept  on. 

"That  must  be  Danny  Rugg!"  cried  Bert's 
sister.  "  No  one  else  around  here  would  be 
as  mean  as  that !  " 

Bert  stopped  a  moment  to  brusH  tHe  snow 
from  his  eyes,  and  then  he  rushed  toward  the 
tree. 

"Who  is  it?"  cried  Harry. 

"  I  don't  know — but  I'm  going  to  find  out," 
was  Bert's  answer.     "Come  along!" 

The  two  boys  hurried  on,  the  girls  linger- 
ing in  the  rear. 

Again  a  snowball  flew  out  of  the  tree,  but 
it  struck  no  one,  though  coming  near  to  Nan. 

By  this  time  Bert  was  close  to  tHe  tree.  It 
was  a  hemlock,  and  the  branches  were  quite 
185 


l86    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

thick,  but  Bert  got  a  glimpse  of  someone  hid- 
ing among  them. 

"  Come  down  out  of  that!  "  Bert  cried.  "  I 
see  you ! " 

There  was  no  answer. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  hitting  us?  "  asked 
Harry  angrily.  "  We  didn't  do  anything  to 
you." 

Still  there  was  no  answer. 

"  I'm  going  to  do  some  snowballing  on  my 
own   account,"   spoke   Bert.      "  Here   goes ! " 

He  quickly  made  a  hard  ball,  and,  circling 
around  the  tree  to  find  an  opening  in  the 
branches,  he  saw  the  figure  of  the  boy  more 
plainly. 

"  Danny  Rugg !  "  cried  Bert.  "  So  it's  you ; 
is  it?  First  you  start  a  snowslide  down  on  us 
and  then  you  snowball  us.  This  has  got  to 
stop.    Take  that!" 

Bert  threw,  but  though  his  aim  was  good, 
Danny,  for  it  was  the  bully,  managed  to  climb 
up  higher  in  the  tree,  and  the  snowball  broke  j 
into  pieces  against  the  branches. 

"Ha!   Ha!"  laughed  Danny. 

"Oh,    there's    plenty    more    snow,"    said 


SNAP   IS  GONE  187 

Harry,  "  and  you  can't  have  an  awful  lot  up 
there." 

His  answer  was  another  snowball,  which 
f  struck  him  on  the  shoulder,  doing  no  harm. 
Danny  must  have  taken  some  snow-ammuni- 
tion up  the  tree  with  him,  and,  in  addition, 
there  was  a  supply  of  the  white  flakes  on  the 
•wide  branches  of  the  hemlock. 

Bert  and  Harry  both  began  throwing  snow- 
balls up  into  the  tree,  but  they  were  at  a  dis- 
advantage, for  their  missiles  broke  to  pieces 
against  the  trunk  or  branches.  On  the  other 
hand  Danny  could  wait  his  chanec  and  hit 
them  when  they  came  within  sight. 

"This  won't  do!"  exclaimed  Bert,  after  a 
bit.    "  We've  got  to  get  him  out  of  that  tree.'* 

"  How  can  we  ?  "  asked  Harry.  "  Climb  up 
it,  and  pull  him  down  ?  " 

"Oh,  don't  do  that!"  cried  Nan.  "You 
might  get  hurt." 

"  Yes,  that  would  be  risky,"  admitted  Bert. 
"  One  of  us  might  slip  and  fall.  Hey  you, 
Danny  Rugg !  "  cried  Bert.  "  Come  on  down, 
and  we'll  give  you  a  fair  show.  Only  one  of 
us  will  tackle  you  at  a  time." 


iS8    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"Huh!  Think  I'm  comnig  down?"  asked 
Danny.  "  I'm  not  afraid  of  you,  but  I'm  go- 
ing to  stay  up  here." 

"Oh,  are  you?"  asked  Bert,  as  he  thought 
of  a  new  plan.  "  We'll  see  about  that.  Come 
here,  Harry." 

From  the  tree  Danny  looked  down  anx- 
iously while  Harry  and  Bert  whispered  to- 
gether.   The  girls  had  walked  off  to  one  side. 

"How  are  you  going  to  get  him  down?" 
asked  Harry. 

"  Cut  the  tree,"  answered  Bert  "  It's  only 
a  small  one." 

"  But  we  can't  even  cut  that  down  with  our 
knives." 

"  I  know.  But  on  the  ice-boat  is  that 
hatchet  father  gave  me  to  take  to  be  sharp- 
ened. I  forgot  about  it  on  the  way  up  the 
lake,  and  I  was  going  to  do  it  on  the  way  back. 
There's  a  blacksmith  shop  in  the  big  cove.  But 
the  hatchet  is  sharp  enough  to  chop  down  this 
tree.  We'll  get  it  and  give  Danny  a  good 
scare." 

"  That's  what  we  will.  You  stay  here  and 
I'll  run  down  and  get  it." 


SNAP   IS   GONE  189 

Harry  started  off  on  a  run,  and  Danny,  still 
tip  the  tree,  wondered  what  plan  was  afoot. 
The  bully  had  been  out  for  a  walk  when  he 
saw  Bert  and  the  others  coming  up  the  hill. 
He  quickly  climbed  the  tree  in  order  to  throw 
snowballs  at  them. 

When  Harry  came  back  with  the  hatchet 
Bert  once  more  called  to  Danny. 

"Are  you  coming  down  and  fight  fair?  I 
give  you  my  promise  that  only  one  of  us  will 
tackle  you  at  a  time.  You  can  have  your 
choice." 

"  Fm  not  coming  down ! "  cried  Danny. 

"Chop  away,  Harry!"  called  Bert.  "I 
guess  I  can  pepper  him  with  a  few  snowballs 
if  he  tries  to  throw  any  at  you." 

"^he  tree  trunk  was  not  very  thick,  and  the 
hatchet  was  fairly  sharp.  In  a  little  while  the 
tree  began  swaying. 

"  I  say  now,  stop  that !  "  cried  Danny,  try- 
ing to  get  a  better  hold  in  the  branches. 

"  Better  come  down  before  you  fall,"  sug- 
gested Bert,  who  had  a  pile  of  snowballs  ready. 

The  tree  swayed  more  and  more.  Bert  and 
Harry  knew  that  even  if  Danny  fell  with  it 


I90    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

he  could  not  get  hurt  in  the  soft  drifts.  So 
Harry  kept  on  chopping. 

The  tree  swayed  more  and  more.  There  was 
a  cracking  sound.    Then  Danny  cried: 

"  Don't  chop  any  more  —  I'm  coming 
down!" 

"Get  ready,  Harry!"  called  Bert.  "We'll 
give  him  some  of  the  same  kind  of  a  thing  he 
gave  us ! " 

In  another  instant  Danny  jumped,  and  as 
the  swaying  tree  sprang  back,  when  relieved 
of  his  weight,  Bert  and  Harry  leaped  forward 
to  pelt  the  bully  with  snowballs. 

Danny  tried  to  fight  back,  but  he  w^as  no 
match  for  the  tw^o  of  them,  and  soon  he  began 
to  look  like  a  snow  image,  so  wxll  was  he  plas- 
tered w^ith  white  flakes. 

"  Give  it  to  him !  "  cried  Bert,  whose  face 
still  stung  w^here  Danny  had  struck  him  with 
a  snowball. 

"  That's  what  I  will,"  agreed  Harry,  whose 
ear  was  quite  sore. 

For  a  time  Danny  said  nothing,  but  tried  to 
block  off  the  rain  of  snowballs,  throwing  some 
of  his  own  back.    Then,  as  he  was  almost  over- 


SNAP    IS   GONE 


191 


Avhelmed  by  the  ones  Harry  and  Bert  threw, 
the  bully  cried : 

"Stop!  Stop!  I've  had  enough!  I  won't 
bother  you  any  more !  " 

Danny  was  soon  out  of  sight,  running  off 
in  the  direction  of  his  father's  lumber  tract, 
and  soon  Bert  and  the  others  went  back  to  the 
ice-boat 

They  stopped  at  the  blacksmith  shop  to  have 
the  hatchet,  and  reached  home  after  a  little  sail 
on  the  Ice  Bird. 

"Did  anything  happen  this  time?"  asked 
Freddie,  as  he  greeted  them  on  the  return  to 
Snow  Lodge. 

"  Not  much,"  replied  Bert.  "  We  just  had 
a  snow  fight;  that's  all." 

The  skating  and  ice-boating  lasted  for  some 
time,  and  the  girls  and  boys  had  lots  of  fun. 
Nights  were  spent  in  popping  corn,  telling 
stories,  roasting  apples,  and  once,  in  the  big 
sled,  they  all  went  to  an  entertainment  in  a 
nearby  school  hall. 

It  was  on  returning  from  this,  in  the  even- 
ing, that  Dinah  met  them  at  the  door,  asking: 

"  Did  yo'  all  take  dat  dog  Snap  wif  yo'  ?  " 


192    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"Take  Snap?  No,"  said  Mr.  Bobbsey. 
"Isn't  he  here?" 

The  children  began  to  look  alarmed. 

"  He  was  here,"  said  Dinah,  "  but  I  can't 
find  him  now,  nohow.    He  suah  am  missin'." 


CHAPTER   XX 


THE  BIG   STORM 


For  a  moment  they  all  looked  at  one  an- 
other by  turns.  Flossie  and  Freddie  showed 
the  most  alarm.  Bert  started  for  the  outside 
door,  as  though  intending  to  make  a  search 
for  his  pet.     Mr.  Bobbsey  questioned  Dinah. 

"  Are  you  sure,"  he  asked,  "  that  Snap  isn't 
around?" 

"  I  suah  am  suah,"  she  replied.  "  I  done 
called  him  to  git  suffin  to  eat,  an'  when  Snap 
won't  come  fo'  dat  he  ain't  around." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey.  "  I  won- 
der if  he  could  have  followed  after  us,  and 
got  lost?  Did  any  of  you  see  him  traihng 
us?" 

"  He  did  come  a  little  way,  when  we  start- j 
€d,"  came  from  Dorothy. 

"Yes,  but  Dinah  called  him  back;  didn't 
you?"  asked  Nan  of  the  cook. 
193 


194    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"Yes,  missis,  dat's  what  I  did.  An'  Snap 
come.  Den,  t'  make  suah  he  wouldn't  sneak 
off  an'  foller  yo'-all,  I  shut  him  up  in  de  kitchen 
an'  gibe  him  a  chicken  bone.  Arter  a  while  I 
let  him  out.  He  run  around,  kinder  disap- 
pointed like,  an'  come  back.  Den  I  didn't  look 
fo'  him  until  a  little  while  ago,  but  he  was 
gone,  an'  I  thought  maybe,  arter  all,  he'd  come 
wif  yo'." 

"  No,  he  didn't,"  said  Mr.  Bobbsey,  with  a 
shake  of  his  head.  "  But  we'll  have  a  look 
around." 

With  Bert  and  Harry  he  went  outside.  But 
neither  calling  nor  whistling  brought  any  bark 
from  Snap.  Nor  did  he  come  bounding  joy- 
fully up,  as  he  usually  did  when  summoned. 
The  darkness  about  Snow  Lodge  was  quiet. 
There  was  no  sign  of  Snap. 

"  He's  gone  off  in  the  woods  and  is  lost," 
said  Harry. 

"  Snap  knows  better  than  to  get  lost,"  de- 
clared Bert.  "  He  could  find  his  way  home 
from  almost  anywhere.  I  think  he  must  have 
followed  someone  away." 

"  Would  he  do  that?  "  asked  Harry. 


THE   BIG   STORM 


195 


"He  might  with  someone  he  knew,  if  that 
person  petted  him,"  said  Mr.  Bobbsey. 

"  That  hunter — Henry  Burdock !  "  suddenly 
exclaimed  Bert.  "  Snap  made  great  friends 
with  him  when  we  met  him  out  in  the  woods 
the  other  day,  and  Henry  said  he'd  make  a  fine 
hunting  dog." 

"  I  don't  believe  Henry  Burdock  would  en- 
tice our  dog  away,"  said  Mr.  Bobbsey,  with  a 
shake  of  his  head. 

"  Oh,  of  course  I  don't  mean  on  purpose," 
said  Bert.  ''  But  Snap  may  have  been  running 
about  in  the  woods  at  dusk  when  he  met 
Henry.  Then  he  may  have  follovv'ed  him,  for 
Snap  is  part  hunting  dog,  and  he  gets  crazy 
when  he  sees  a  gun.  Maybe  he  followed 
Henry,  and  wouldn't  be  driven  back  through 
the  snow." 

"Maybe  that's  so,"  agreed  Mr.  Bobbsey. 
"  In  that  case  Snap  will  be  all  right,  and  we 
can  get  him  in  the  morning.  So  don't  worry 
any  more." 

They  went  back  in  the  Lodge,  to  find  Fred- 
Hie  and  Flossie  almost  in  tears  .  But  the  little 
twins  felt  better  when  it  was  explained  to  them 


196    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

that  Snap  might,  after  all,  be  safe  with  the 
young  hunter. 

"And  will  you  get  him  first  thing  in  the 
morning?"  asked  Freddie. 

The  following  day  was  so  nice  that  Flossie 
and  Freddie  were  allowed  to  go  with  Bert, 
Nan,  Harry  and  Dorothy  to  the  cabin  of 
Henry  Burdock  to  look  for  Snap.  The  small 
twins  were  put  on  two  sleds,  the  older  children 
taking  turns  pulling  them. 

They  easily  found  Henry's  cabin,  having 
been  there  several  times  since  the  night  they 
spent  in  it.  The  hunter  was  just  about  to  start 
off  on  a  trip. 

"Where's  Snap?"  called  Bert,  eagerly. 

"  Snap?  I  haven't  seen  him  since  that  day 
I  met  you  with  him  in  the  woods,"  answered 
the  hunter. 

"What!      Isn't    he   here?"    asked    Harry. 

Then  they  told  of  the  missing  dog.  But 
Henry  Burdock  had  not  seen  him. 

"Where  can  he  be?"  spoke  Nan,  wonder- 
ingly. 

Flossie  and  Freddie  began  to  cry. 

"  Oh,  a  bear  has  Snap !  "  wailed  Flossie. 


THE   BIG   STORM 


197 


"No,  he  hasn't!^'  declared  Bert.  "We'll 
find  him." 

"  But  where  can  he  be?  "  said  Dorothy.  "  Is 
there  anyone  else  around  here  who  might  take 
him?" 

Bert  and  Nan  thought  of  the  same  thing  at 
the  same  time. 

"  Danny  Rugg !  "  they  exclaimed. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Henry  Bur- 
dock. 

"  He's  a  mean  boy  who  is  camping  with  his 
father  near  us,"  explained  Bert.  "  Harry  and 
I  pelted  him  good  with  snowballs  the  other 
day,  after  he  bothered  us.  I  think  he  has  en- 
ticed Snap  away." 

"Would  your  dog  go  with  him?" 

"Yes,  he's  friendly  with  Danny,  for  some- 
times Danny  is  fairly  good,  and  comes  to  our 
house.  If  he  offered  Snap  a  nice  bone  our 
dog  might  go  with  him." 

"  Then  I  advise  you  to  have  a  look  over 
where  Danny  is  camping,"  said  the  young 
hunter. 

It  was  quite  a  trip  back  to  Snow  Lodge  and 
then  over  to  the  Rugg  lumber  camp,  and  Mrs. 


198    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

Bobbsey  thought  it  too  far  to  take  Flossie  and 
Freddie,  so  they  were  left  behind  on  the  second 
trip,  Nan  and  Dorothy  going  with  Bert  and 
Harry. 

They  saw  Danny  Rugg  standing  in  front  of 
a  log  cabin  which  was  on  the  edge  of  a  lum- 
ber camp.  The  bully  seemed  uneasy  at  the 
sight  of  Harry  and  Bert,  and  called  out : 

"  If  you're  coming  here  to  make  any  trouble 
I'll  tell  my  father  on  you.  He's  right  over 
there." 

"  We're  not  going  to  make  any  trouble, 
Danny  Rugg,  if  you  don't,"  said  Bert  slowly. 
"  But  we  came  for  Snap,  our  dog." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  your  dog," 
answered  Danny,  in  surly  tones. 

"  I  think  you  do,"  said  Bert,  quietly.  Then 
raising  his  voice,  he  called: 

"  Snap !  Snap !  Where  are  you,  old  fellow  ? 
Snap!" 

There  was  a  moment  of  silence,  and  then, 
from  a  small  cabin  some  distance  away,  came 
loud  barks. 

"There's  Snap!  That's  our  dog!"  cried 
Nan,  joyfully,  and  at  the  sound  of  her  voice 


THE   BIG   STORM 


199 


the  barking  grew  louder.   There  could  also  be 
heard  the  rattling  of  a  chain. 

"  You've  got  him  tied,  Danny  Rugg !  "  cried 
Bert,  angrily.  "  Let  him  go  at  once  or  I'll  hit 
you!" 

"  Don't  you  dare  touch  me !  "  cried  the  bully, 
'*'  And  you  get  off  our  land !  " 

"  Not  until  I  get  my  dog,"  said  Bert,  firmly. 

He  started  for  the  cabin  where  the  dog  was, 
but  Danny  stepped  in  front  of  him.  Bert 
shoved  Danny  to  one  side,  and  just  then  ^Ir. 
Rugg  came  up. 

"  Here!  What  does  this  mean?  "  he  asked. 
"Bert  Bobbsey,  you  here?" 

"  Yes,  sir.  I  came  after  my  dog.  Danny 
has  him  tied  up !  " 

"  Danny,  is  this  so  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Rugg,  who 
knew  some  of  his  son's  mean  ways,  and  had 
tried  in  vain  to  break  him  of  them.  "  Have 
you  Bert's  dog?  " 

"  Well,  maybe  it  is  his  dog.  It  was  dark 
when  he  followed  me  home  last  night,  and  I 
tied  him  in  that  shack." 

"  I  guess  he  wouldn't  have  followed  you  if 
you  hadn't  coaxed  him,"  said  Bert. 


200    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  Well,  I  couldn't  drive  him  back,"  went  on 
Danny,  but  the  Bobbseys  believed  that  he  had 
deliberately  coaxed  Snap  off  to  make  trouble. 

"  Let  the  dog  out  at  once,"  said  Mr.  Rugg 
to  his  son,  and  Danny  had  to  do  so,  though  he 
was  angry  and  sullen  over  it. 

How  Snap  leaped  about  his  master  and  mis- 
tress and  their  cousins!  How  delightedly  he 
barked !  And  his  tail  wagged  to  and  fro  so 
fast  that  it  looked  like  two  tails,  as  Freddie 
said  afterward. 

''  Poor  Snap ! "  said  Bert,  as  he  patted  his 
pet.  ''  And  so  you  were  tied  up  all  night?  It 
was  a  mean  trick !  "  and  his  eyes  flashed  on 
Danny,  who  looked  on  sneeringly. 

"  I  am  sorry  for  this,  Bert,"  said  Mr.  Rugg. 
"  If  I  had  known  Danny  enticed  away  your 
dog  I  would  have  made  him  bring  it  back. 
Now  I  am  going  to  punish  him.  You  go  back 
home  to-day,  Danny.  You  can't  stay  in  the 
lumber  camp  any  longer." 

Danny  felt  badly,  of  course,  but  it  served 
him  right. 

The  Bobbseys  and  their  cousins  lost  no  time 
in  getting  back  to  Snow  Lodge  with   Snap, 


THE   BIG   STORM  20I 

who  was  hugged  so  much  by  Flossie  and  Fred- 
die that  Dinah  said: 

"Good  land  a'  massy!  Dat  dog  must  be 
mos'  starved,  an'  yo'-all  is  lubbin  him  so  dat 
he  ain't  time  to  eat  a  sandwich.  Let  him  hab 
some  breakfast,  an'  den  hug  him!" 

"  Oh,  but  we  like  him  so ! "  cried  Flossie. 

So  Snap  was  restored,  and  Danny  was  sent 
home  out  of  the  woods,  so  there  was  no  mxore 
trouble  from_  him. 

In  the  days  that  followed,  the  Bobbsey  twins 
at  Snow  Lodge  had  many  more  good  times. 
They  made  snow  forts,  and  had  snow-battles, 
they  made  big  snow  men  and  threw  snowballs 
at  them,  and  went  on  sleigh  rides,  or  skated 
and  ice-boated  and  played  around  generally, 
to  their  hearts'  content. 

Occasionally  the  two  older  boys  went  on 
long  tramps  with  Henry  Burdock  as  he  visited 
his  traps.  They  invited  him  to  come  to  Snow 
Lodge,  but  he  said: 

"  No,  I'm  never  coming  there  until  I  can 
prove  to  my  uncle  that  I  never  touched  his 
money.    Then  I'll  come." 

One  Hay,  when  Bert  and  Harry  had  been  in 


202    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

the  woods  with  the  young  hunter,  he  said  to 
them: 

"  Don't  go  far  away  from  Snow  Lodge  to- 
morrow, boys." 

"Why  not?"  asked  Bert. 

"  Because  I  think  we're  in  for  a  big  storm, 
and  you  might  easily  get  lost  again.  Unless  I'm 
mistaken,  it's  going  to  snow  hard  before  morn- 
ing." 

Henry  Burdock  proved  a  true  w^eather 
prophet,  for  when  the  Bobbseys  and  the  others 
got  up  the  next  morning  the  ground  was  cov- 
ered with  a  mantle  of  newly-fallen  snow,  and 
more  was  sifting  down  from  the  clouds.  The 
wind,  too,  was  blowing  fiercely. 

"  It's  going  to  be  a  bad  storm,"  said  Mr. 
Bobbsey,  looking  out  after  breakfast.  *'  Luck- 
ily we  have  plenty  of  wood  and  plenty  to  eat." 

The  wind  howled  around  Snow  Lodge  while 
the  white  flakes  came  down  thicker  and  faster. 

"  Maybe  we'll  be  snowed  in,"  said  Nan. 

"  That  would  be  fun !  "  cried  Bert. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

THE  FALLING  TREE 

How  the  wind  did  blow!  How  the  snow 
Iwirled  and  drifted  about  the  old  farmhouse! 
But  within  it  all  were  warm  and  comfortable. 
The  fire  on  the  open  hearth  was  kept  roaring 
up  the  chimney,  Sam  piling  on  log  after  log. 
In  the  cozy  kitchen  Dinah  kept  at  her  work 
over  the  range,  singing  old  plantation  melo- 
dies. 

The  blowing  wind  and  the  drifting  snow 
kept  up  all  day.  Flossie  and  Freddie  begged 
to  be  allowed  to  go  out  for  a  little  while,  but 
their  mother  would  not  think  of  it.  Bert  and 
Harry  tried  to  go  a  little  way  beyond  the  barn^ 
but  were  driven  back  by  the  cold,  wintry  blasts. 
Dorothy  and  Xan  managed  to  have  a  good 
time  in  the  attic  of  the  old  house,  dressing  up 
in  some  clothes  of  a  by-gone  age,  which  they 
found  in  some  trunks. 

"  My!  I  hope  the  chimneys  don't  blow  off!  " 
203 


204    THE  EOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

exclaimed  Mrs.  Bobbsey,  as  a  particularly 
fierce  blast  shook  the  old  house.  "  A  fire  now 
would  be  dreadful." 

"  I  don't  imagine  there  is  much  danger," 
said  Mr.  Bobbsey,  with  a  laugh.  "  The  way 
they  built  houses  and  chimneys  when  Snow 
Lodge  was  put  up  was  different  from  nowa- 
days.   They  w^re  built  to  stay." 

"Oh,  but  this  is  a  terrible  storm!" 

*'  Yes,  and  it  seems  to  be  getting  worse," 
agreed  Mr.  Bobbsey.  "  I  hope  no  one  is  out 
in  it.  But,  as  I  said,  we  have  plenty  to  eat, 
and  wood  to  keep  us  warm,  and  that  is  all  we 
can  ask." 

The  day  slowly  passed,  but  toward  after- 
noon Flossie  and  Freddie  grew  fretful  from 
having  been  kept  in.  They  were  used  to  go- 
ing out  of  doors  in  almost  any  kind  of  weather. 

"  Come  on  up  in  the  attic  with  us,"  sug- 
gested Nan,  "  and  we'll  have  a  sort  of  circus." 

"And  Snap  can  do  tricks,"  cried  Freddie, 
"  and  I'll  give  an  exhibition  with  my  fire 
engine." 

"Of  course!"  exclaimed  Dorothy,  and  the 
little  Bobbsey  twins  forgot  their  fretfulness  in 
a  new  series  of  games. 


THE  FALLING   TREE  205 

Harder  blew  the  wind,  and  fiercer  fell  the 
snow.  The  path  ^Ir.  Bobbsey  had  shoveled 
was  soon  filled  up  again.  Out  at  the  back  door 
was  a  drift  that  covered  the  rear  stoop. 

"  If  this  keeps  up  we  will  be  snowed  in," 
said  Mr.  Bobbsey  to  his  wife,  as  they  prepared 
to  lock  up  for  the  night. 

They  w^ere  gathered  around  the  big  open 
fire,  popping  corn  and  roasting  apples,  when 
a  louder  blast  of  wind  than  ever  shook  the 
house. 

"Oh,  what  a  night!"  said  Mrs.  Bobbsey, 
with  a  shudder.  "  I  wish  w^e  vvere  in  our  home 
again ! " 

Hardly  had  she  spoken  than  there  came  a 
fearful  crash,  and  the  whole  house  trembled. 
At  the  same  time  a  blast  of  cold  wind 
swept  through  it,  scattering  the  fire  on  the 
hearth. 

"  Oh,  what  was  that?  "  cried  ]\Irs.  Bobbsey. 

"  That  old  apple  tree,  at  the  corner  of  the 
house,"  said  Mr.  Bobbsey.  "  The  storm  has 
blown  it  over,  and  it  has  smashed  a  corner  of 
the  Lodge.  Don't  be  afraid.  ¥/e'll  be  all 
right,"  and  he  ran  to  close  the  door,  to' keep 
t)tit  the  cold  wind. 


CHAPTER   XXII 


THE   MISSING   MONEY 


"  What  happened  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Bobbsey, 
when  her  husband  had  come  back  after  going 
out  to  take  a  look  around.  "  Is  the  house 
safe?" 

*'  As  safe  as  ever,"  he  answered.  "  Just  as 
I  told  you,  the  old  apple  tree  blew  over,  and 
smashed  the  corner  of  the  house  near  this  liv- 
ing room.  That's  why  we  felt  the  crash  so. 
But  there  is  no  great  harm  done.  We  can  keep 
this  door  closed  and  not  use  that  other  part  of 
the  house  at  all.  We  have  room  enough  with- 
out it.  The  VN^ind  and  storm  can't  tt  at  us 
here." 

"  I  suah  'nuff  thought  de  house  was  comin' 
down,"  said  Dinah,  who  had  run  in  from  the 
kitchen  at  the  sound  of  the  crash. 

"  It  was  a  hard  blow,"  said  Bert.  "  Look, 
all  the  ashes  are  scattered,"  and  he  pointed  to 
206 


THE   MISSING   MONEY 


207 


where  the  wind  had  blown  them  about  the 
hearth. 

Dinah  soon  swept  them  up,  however,  and 
more  wood  was  put  on  the  fire,  and  the  Bobb- 
seys  were  as  comfortable  as  before.  The  part 
of  the  house  which  had  been  smashed  by  the 
tree  was  closed  off  from  the  rest. 

Soon  it  was  time  to  go  to  bed,  but  all  night 
long  the  storm  raged,  making  Snow  Lodge 
tremble  in  the  blast.  Everyone  was  up  early 
in  the  morning  to  see  by  daylight  what  damage 
had  been  done. 

The  sun  rose  clear,  for  the  storm  had  passed. 
But  oh !  what  a  lot  of  snow  there  was !  In  big 
drifts  it  was  scattered  all  over  the  place,  and 
one  side  door  was  snowed  in  completely;  and 
could  not  be  opened.  Sam  had  to  shovel  a  lot 
of  snow  away  from  the  kitchen  steps  before 
Dinah  could  go  out. 

"  Lers  go  see  where  the  tree  fell,"  suggested 
Bert  to  Harry,  vrhen  they  were  dressed.  Nan 
and  Dorothy  joined  them.  They  went  to  the 
corner  of  the  house  and  there  saw  a  strange 
sight.  The  old  apple  tree  lay  partly  in  the 
room  into  which  it  had  crashed  through  the 


2o8    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

side  of  the  house.  And  much  snow  had  blown 
in  also. 

This  room,  however,  was  little  used,  except 
for  storage,  and  there  was  nothing  in  it  to  be 
damaged  save  some  old  furniture.  Bert  and 
Harry  made  their  way  into  the  apartment,  and 
the  girls  followed. 

They  were  looking  about  at  the  odd  sight, 
when  something  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  along 
the  wall  that  was  next  to  the  living  room, 
where  the  Bobbseys  had  spent  the  evening, 
caught  Bert's  eyes.  He  went  toward  it.  He 
picked  up  a  roll  of  what  seemed  to  be  green 
paper.  It  had  been  in  a  crack  of  the  w^all  that 
had  been  m?de  wider  by  the  falling  tree. 

"Oh,  look!"  he  cried.  "What  is  this? 
Why,  it's  money !  " 

'"A  roll  of  bills!"  added  Harry,  looking 
over  his  cousin's  shoulder. 

Slowly  Bert  unrolled  them.  There  seemed 
to  be  considerable  money  there.  One  bill  was 
for  a  hundred  dollars. 

"  Where  did  it  come  from?  "  asked  Nan. 

"  From  a  crack  in  the  wall,"  spoke  her 
brother.    "  It  must  have  slipped  down,  and  tlTe 


THE   MISSING   MONEY  209 

falling  tree  made  the  crack  wider,  so  I  could 
see  it." 

"  I  wonder  who  could  have  put  it  there  ?  "  i 
said  Dorothy. 

Bert  and  Nan  looked  at  each  other.  The 
same  thought  came  into  their  minds. 

"The  missing  money!"  cried  Bert.  "The 
roll  of  bills  that  Mr.  Carford  thought  his 
nephew  took!    Can  this  be  it?" 

"  Oh,  if  it  only  is !  "  murmured  Nan.  "  Let's 
tell  papa  right  away !  " 

Carrying  the  money  so  strangely  found,  the 
young  folks  went  into  the  house  where  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bobbsey  were.  The  roll  of  bills  was 
shown,  and  Mr.  Bobbsey  was  much  surprised. 

"  Do  you  think  this  can  be  the  money  Mr. 
Carford  lost?  "  asked  Bert. 

"  I  shouldn't  be  surprised,"  said  Mr.  Bobb- 
sey, quickly.  "  I'll  take  a  look.  Mr.  Carford 
said  he  left  it  on  the  mantel  in  the  living  room. 
And  you  found  it  in  the  room  back  of  that.  I'll 
look." 

Quickly  he  examined  the  mantel.  Then  he 
exclaimed : 

"  Yes,  that's  how  it  happened.     There  is  a 


2IO    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

crack  up  here,  and  the  money  must  have 
shpped  down  into  it.  All  these  years  it  has 
been  in  between  the  walls,  until  the  falling 
tree  made  a  break  and  showed  where  it  was. 
Mr.  Carford  was  mistaken.  His  nephew  did 
not  take  the  money.  I  always  said  so.  It  fell 
into  the  crack,  and  remained  hidden  until  the 
storm  showed  where  it  was." 

"  Oh,  how  glad  I  am !  "  cried  Mrs.  Bobbsey. 
"Now  Henry's  name  can  be  cleared!  Oh,  if 
he  were  only  here  to  know  the  good  news !  " 

There  seemed  to  be  no  doubt  of  it.  Years 
before  Mr.  Carford  had  placed  the  money  on 
the  shelf  of  the  living  room.  He  probably  did 
not  know  of  the  crack  into  which  it  slipped. 
The  roll  of  bills  had  gone  down  between  the 
walls,  and  only  the  breaking  of  them  when  the 
tree  fell  on  the  house  brought  the  money  to 
light. 

"  It  is  a  strange  thing,''  said  Mr.  Bobbsey. 
*'  The  missing  money  is  found  after  all  these 
years,  and  in  such  a  queer  way !  We  must  tell 
Henry  as  soon  as  possible,  and  Mr.  Carford 
also." 

Suddenly  there  came  a  knock  on  the  doo'' 


THE    MISSING   MONEY  211 

Bert  went  to  it  and  gave  a  cry  of  surprise. 
There  stood  the  young  hunter — Henry  Bur- 
dock. 

"  I  came  over  to  see  if  you  were  all  right," 
he  said.  "  We  have  had  a  fearful  storm.  Part 
of  my  cabin  was  blown  away,  and  I  wondered 
how  you  fared  at  Snow  Lodge.  Are  you  all 
right?" 

"  Yes,  Henry,  we  are,"  said  Mr.  Bobbsey. 
*'  And  the  storm  was  a  good  thing  for  you." 

"  I  don't  see  how.  ]\Iy  cabin  is  spoiled, 
ril  have  to  build  it  over  again." 

"  You  won't  have  to,  Henry.  You  can  come 
to  live  at  Snow  Lodge  now." 

"  Never.  Not  until  my  name  is  cleared,  I 
will  never  come  to  Snow  Lodge  until  the  miss- 
ing money  is  found,  and  my  uncle  says  I  did 
not  take  it." 

"  Then  you  can  come  now,  Henry,"  cried 
Mr.  Bobbsey,  holding  out  the  roll  of  bills. 
"  For  the  money  is  found  and  we  can  clear 
your  name !  " 

"  Is  it  possible ! "  exclaimed  the  young 
hunter,  in  great  and  joyful  surprise.  "  Oh, 
how   I   have   prayed    for   this!     The  money 


212    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

found!  Where  was  it?  How  did  you  find 
it?" 

Then  the  story  was  told,  the  children  having 
their  share  in  it. 

"  I  can't  tell  you  how  thankful  I  am/*  said 
the  young  hunter.  "  This  means  a  lot  to  me. 
Now  my  uncle  will  know  I  am  not  a  thief. 
I  must  go  and  tell  him  at  once." 

"  No,  I'll  go,"  said  Mr.  Bobbsey.  ''  I  want 
to  prove  to  him  that  I  was  right,  after  all,  in 
saying  you  were  innocent.  You  stay  here  until 
I  bring  him." 

Mr.  Bobbsey  went  off  in  the  big  sled  with 
Sam  to  drive  the  horses.  It  w^as  a  hard  trip, 
on  account  of  the  drifts,  but  finally  Newton 
was  reached  and  Mr.  Carford  found.  At  first 
he  could  hardly  believe  that  the  m.oney  was 
found,  but  when  he  saw  and  counted  it,  finding 
it  exactly  the  same  as  when  he  had  put  it  on 
the  shelf  years  before,  he  knew  that  he  had 
done  wrong  in  accusing- Henry. 

"  And  I'll  tell  him  so,  too,"  he  said.  "  I'll 
beg  his  pardon,  and  he  and  I  will  live  together 
again.  Oh,  how  happy  I  am!  Now  I  can  go 
to  Snow  Lodge  with  a  light  heart." 


THE    MISSING  MONEY  213 

Uncle  and  nephew  met,  and  clasped  hands 
while  tears  stood  in  their  eyes.  After  years  of 
suffering  they  were  friends  again.  It  was  a 
happy,  loving  time  for  all. 

"  And  I'll  never  be  so  hasty  again,"  said  Mr. 
Carford.  "  Oh,  what  a  happy  day  this  is,  after 
the  big  storm!  We  must  have  a  big  celebra- 
tion. I  know  what  I'll  do.  I'll  get  up  a  party, 
and  invite  all  the  people  in  this  part  of  the 
country.  They  all  know  that  I  accused  Henry 
of  taking  that  money.  Now  they  must  know 
that  he  did  not.     I  will  admit  my  mistake." 

And  that  is  what  Mr.  Carford  did.  He  sent 
out  many  invitations  to  an  old-fashioned  party 
at  Snow  Lodge.  The  place  where  the  tree  had 
crashed  through,  to  show  the  missing  money, 
v/as  boarded  up,  and  the  house  made  cozy 
again. 

Then  came  the  party,  and  the  Bobbseys  were 
the  guests  of  honor — particularly  the  twins  and 
their  cousins,  for  it  was  due  to  them,  in  a 
great  measure,  that  the  money  had  been  found. 

Mr.  Carford  stood  up  before  everyone  and 
admitted  how  wrong  he  had  been  in  saying  his 
nephew  had  taken  the  money. 


214    THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

"  But  all  our  troubles  are  ended  now,"  he 
said,  "  and  Henry  and  I  will  live  in  Snow 
Lodge  together.  And  we  will  always  be  glad 
to  see  you  here — all  of  you — and  most  espe- 
cially— the  Bobbseys." 

"  Three  cheers  for  the  Bobbsey  twins !  " 
someone  called. 

And  it  is  a  good  thing  the  roof  of  Snow 
Lodge  was  tight  and  fast,  or  it  might  have 
blown  off,  so  loud  were  the  cheers  that  fol- 
lowed. 

Then  followed  a  fine  feast — a  happy  time 
for  all,  while  Henry  and  his  uncle  received  the 
good  wishes  of  their  friends  and  neighbors. 

Snap  raced  about,  barking  and  wagging  his 
tail.  Bert,  Nan,  Dorothy,  Harry  and  Freddie 
and  Flossie  were  here,  there,  everywhere,  tell- 
ing how  the  tree  had  blown  down,  and  how 
they  had  found  the  money. 

"  Dear  old  Snow  Lodge !  "  said  Nan,  when 
the  party  was  over,  and  the  guests  gone.  **  We 
will  have  to  leave  it  soon !  " 

"  But  perhaps  we  can  come  back  some  timie," 
said  Nan. 

'*  I'd  like  to''  agreed  Bert.     "  Next  winter 


THE    MISSING   MONEY  215 

I  am  going  to  build  a  bigger  ice-boat,  and  sail 
all  over  the  lake." 

"xA.nd  we'll  make  regular  snowshoes,  and 
0  hunting  in  the  woods,"  said  Harry. 

"  But  it  will  be  summer  before  it  is  winter 
again,"  said  Freddie.  "  I'm  going  to  have  a 
motor  boat  and  ride  in  it.  And  I'll  take  miy 
fire  engine  along,  and  pump  water." 

"  Can  I  come,  with  my  doll?  "  asked  Flossie. 

"  Yes,  you  may  all  come ! "  exclaimed 
Mamma  Bobbsey,  as  she  hugged  the  two  little 
twins. 

"And  don't  forget,"  said  Mr.  Carford, 
*'  that  Snow  Lodge  is  open  in  the  summer  as 
well  as  in  the  winter.  I  expect  you  Bobbsey 
twins  to  visit  me  once  in  a  while.  I  never  can 
thank  you  enough  for  finding  that  missing 
money." 

"  Neither  can  I,"  said  Henry. 

And  now  that  the  story  is  all  told,  we  will 
say  good-bye  to  the  Bobbsey  twins  and  their 
friends. 

THE   END 


THE   GIRLS    OF    CENTRAL 
HIGH    SERIES 

By  GERTRUDE  W.  MORRISON 

12mo.  BOUND  IN  CLOTH.       ILLUSTRATED.       UNIFORM  STYLE  OF  BINDING. 

Here  is  a  series  full  of  the  spirit  of  high  school  life  of  to- 
i  day.  The  girls  are  real  flesh-and-blood  characters,  and  we  fol- 
low them  with  interest  in  school  and  out.  There  are  many 
contested  matches  on  track  and  field,  and  on  the  water,  as  well 
as  doings  in  the  classroom  and  on  the  school  stage.  There  is 
plenty  of  fun  and  excitement,  all  clean,  pure  and  wholesome. 

I  THE  GIRLS  OF  CENTRAL  HIGH 
Or  Rivals  for  all  Honors. 

A  stirring  tale  of  high  school  life,  full  of  fun,  with  a  touch 
of  mystery  and  a  strange  initiation. 

THE  GIRLS  OF  CENTRAL  HIGH  ON  LAKE  LUNA 
Or  The  Crew  That  Won. 

Telling  of  water  sports  and  fun  galore,  and  of  fine  times  in  camp. 

THE  GIRLS  OF  CENTRAL  HIGH  AT  BASKETBALL 
Or  The  Great  Gymnasium  Mystery. 

Here  we  have  a  number  of  thrilling  contests  at  basketball  and  in 
addition,  the  solving  of  a  mystery  which  had  bothered  the  high 
Bchool  authorities  for  a  long  while. 

THE  GIRLS  OF  CENTRAL  HIGH  ON  THE  STAGE 
Or  The  Play  That  Took  the  Prize. 

How  the  girls  went  in  for  theatricals  and  how  one  of  them  wrote 
a  play  which  afterward  was  made  over  for  the  professional  stage 
and  brought  in  some  much-needed  money. 

THE  GIRLS  OF  CENTRAL  HIGH  ON  TRACK  AND 

FIELD 
Or  The  Girl  Champions  of  the  School  League 

This  story  takes  in  high  school  athletics  in  their  most  approved 
and  up-to-date  fashion.     Full  of  fun  and  excitement. 

THE  GIRLS  OF  CENTRAL  HIGH  IN  CAMP 
Or  The  Old  Professor's  Secret. 

The  girls  went  camping  on  Acorn  Island  and  had  a  delightful 
time  at  boating,  swimming  and  picnic  parties. 

Grosset  &  DuNLAP,  Publishers,         New  York 


THE  MOVING  PICTURE  GIRLS 
SERIES 

By  LAURA  LEE  HOPE 

Author  of  "The  Bobbsey  Twins  Series." 

12mOo  BOUND  IN  CLOTH.       ILLUSTRATED.       UNIFOkM  STYLE  OF  BINDING 

The  adventures  of  Ruth  and  Alice  DeVere.  Their  father, 
a  widower,  is  an  actor  who  has  taken  up  work  for  the 
"movies."  Both  girls  wish  to  aid  him  in  his  work  and  visit 
various  localities  to  act  in  all  sorts  of  pictures. 
THE  MOVING  PICTURE  GIRLS 
Or  First  Appearance  in   Photo   Dramas. 

Having  lost  his  voice,  the  father  of  the  girls  goes  into  the  movies 
and  the  girls  follow.     Tells  how  many   "parlor  dramas"   are  filmed. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  GIRLS  AT  OAK  FARM 
Or  Queer  Happenings  While  Taking  Rural  Plays. 

Full  of  fun_  in  the  country,  the  haps  and  mishaps  of  taking  film 
plays,    and   giving   an    account   of   two    unusual   discoveries. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  GIRLS  SNOWBOUND 
Or  The  Proof  on  the  Film. 

A  tale  of  winter  adventures  in  the  wilderness,  showing  how  th« 
photo-play    actors   sometimes   suffer. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  GIRLS  UNDER  THE  PALMS 
Or  Lost  in  the  Wilds  of  Florida. 

How  they  went  to  the  land  of  palms,  played  many  parts  in  dramas 
before    the    camera;    were    lost,    and    aided    others    who    were   also    lost. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  GIRLS  AT  ROCKY  RANCH 
Or  Great  Days  Among  the  Cowboys. 

All  who  have  ever  seen  moving  pictures  of  the  great  West  will 
want_  to  know  just  how  they  are  made.  This  volume  gives  every  detail 
and  is  full  of  clean  fun  and  excitement. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  GIRLS  AT  SEA 
Or  a  Pictured  Shipwreck  that  Became  Real. 

A  thrilling  account  of  the  girls'  experiences  on  the  water 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  GIRLS  IN  WAR  PLAYS 
Or  The  Sham  Battles  at  Oak  Farm. 

The  girls  play  important  parts  in  big  battle  scenes  and  have  plenty 
of  hard  work   along  with   considerable   fun. 

Grosset  &  DuNLAP,        Publishers,         New  York 


THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  SERIES 

By  LAURA  LEE  HOPE 

Author  of  the  "Bobbsey  Twin  Books"  and  "Bunny  Brown" 
Series. 

12mo.  BOUND  iN  CLOTH.        ILLUSTRATED.       UNIFORM  STYLE  OF  BINDING. 

^  .1 

These  tales  take  in  the  various  adventures  participated  in 
b}'   several   bright,    up-to-date   girls    who    love    outdoor    life. 
They   are   clean    and   wholesome,    free    from    sensationalism, 
absorbing  from  the  first  chapter  to  the  last. 
THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  OF  DEEPDALE 
Or  Camping  and  Tramping  for  Fun  and  Health. 

Telling  how  the  gjrls  organized  their  Camping  and  Tramping  Club, 
how  they  went  on  a  tour,  and  of  various  adventures  which  befell  them. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT  RAINBOW  LAKE 
Or  Stirring  Cruise  of  the  Motor  Boat  Gem. 

One  of  the  girls  becomes  the  proud  possessor  of  a  motor  boat  and 
invites  her  club  members  to  take  a  trip  down  the  river  to  Rain- 
bow  Lake,   a  beautiful   sheet  of  water   lying  between   the  mountains. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  A  MOTOR  CAR 
Or  The  Haunted  Mansion  of  Shadow  Valley. 

One  of  the  girls  has  learned  to  run  a  big  motor  car,  and  she  invites 
the  club  to  go  on  a  tour  to  visit  some  distant  relatives.  On  the  way 
they  stop  at  a  deserted  mansion  and  make  a  surprising  discovery. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  A  WINTER  CAMP 
Or  Glorious  Days  on  Skates  and  Ice  Boats. 

In  this  story,  the  scene  is  shifted  to  a  winter  season.  The  girls 
have  some  jolly  times  skating  and  ice  boating,  and  visit  a  hunters* 
camp  in  the  big  woods. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  FLORIDA. 
Or  Wintering  in  the  Sunny  South. 

The  parents  of  one  of  the  girls  have  bought  an  orange  grove  in 
Florida,  and  her  comipanions  are  invited  to  visit  the  place.  They  take 
a  trip   into  the   interior,  where   several   unusual   things   happen. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT  OCEAN  VIEW 
Or  The  Box  that  Was  Found  in  the  Sand. 

The  girls^have  great  fun  and  solve  a  mystery  while  on  an  outing 
along  the  New   Eneland  coast. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  ON  PINE  ISLAND 
Or  A  Cave  and  What  it  Contained. 

A  bright,  healthful  story,  full  of  good  times  at  a  bungalow  camp 
on   Pine   Islmd. 

Grosset  &  DuNLAP,        Publishers,         New  York 


THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS    BOOKS 

For  Little  Men  and  Women 

By  LAURA  LEE  HOPE 
Author  of  "The  Bunny  Brown"  Series,  Etc. 

12mo.  BOUND  IN  CLOTH.       ILLUSTRATED.        UNIFORM  STYLE  OF  BINDING. 


Copyright  publications  which  cannot  be  obtained  elsewhere. 
Books  that  charm  the  hearts  of  the  Httle  ones,  and  of  which 
they  never  tire.  Many  of  the  adventures  are  comical  in  the 
extreme,  and  all  the  accidents  that  ordinarily  happen  to  youth- 
ful personages  happened  to  these  many-sided  httle  mortals. 
Their  haps  and  mishaps  make  decidedly  entertaining  reading. 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  IN  THE  COUNTRY 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  THE  SEASHORE 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SCHOOL 

Telling  how  they  go  home  from  the  seashore;  went  to  school  and 
were  promoted,  and  of  their  many  trials  and  tribulations. 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

Telling  of  the  winter  holidays,  and  of  the  many  fine  times  and 
adventures  the  twins  had  at  a  winter  lodge  in  the  big  woods. 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  ON  A  HOUSEBOAT 

Mr.  Bobbsey  obtains  a  houseboat,  and  the  whole  family  go  off  on 
a   tour. 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  MEADOW  BROOK 

The  young  folks  visit  the  farm  again  and  have  plenty  of  good 
times    and     several    adventures. 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  HOME 

The  twins  get  into  all  sorts  of  trouble — and  out  again — also  bring 
aid  to  a  poor  family. 


Grosset  &  DuNLAP,        Publishers,         New  York 


University  of 
Connecticut 

Libraries 


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